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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


TEXTS OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAIN. 
ING SERIES 


1. STANDARD TRAINING SERIES.—A series of 
studies in the religious needs and capacities of 
persons of all ages and in ways of dealing with 
those needs and capacities by means of an effec- 
tive program of religious education. 

2. THE Livinc Book SERIEs.—A new series of 
Bible study texts. These texts are of a content 
nature and are planned to cover the whole Bible. 

3. MISSIONS AND SOCIAL STUDIES SERIES.—The 
texts of this series deal with the interpretation 
and practical application of the Christian religion. 

4, COKESBURY SERIES.—A series of texts de- 
signed specifically to meet the needs of the small 
school by enabling workers to come to a clearer 
understanding and a more adequate appreciation 
of their problems and to acquire greater skill 
in handling them. 





IMPORTANT NOTICE 


Tuis book was published before the present Pro- 
grams of Work for local Sunday schools were released 
by the General Sunday School Board. Instead of three 
types of programs, as described in this book, there are 
now five. What was formerly Program of Work C 
(to which the author of this book refers a number of 
times), is now, generally speaking, Program of Work D. 

Program of Work D is intended for the school having 
a membership of approximately fifty to one hundred 
and fifty, with a minimum of six classes, and meeting 
in a one-room building, or in a building with limited 
space and equipment in addition to the church audi- 
torium. Program of Work E is intended for the very 
small school with a membership of fifty or less, and 
with only four classes. 

In a number of places, the terminology in this book is 
out of harmony with the new Programs of Work. In 
every case the latter should be followed. For instance, 
on pages 22 and 24 an outline of the old Program of 
Work C is given. This should be replaced by the new 
Program of Work D or Program of Work E, depending 
upon the type of school the reader is connected with. 
Again, on pages 116 and 117 architectural specifications 
for the C type Sunday school building are given. Ap- 
propriate sections of Programs of Work D or E should 
be substituted. 

In every case, therefore, where reference is made to 
Program of Work C the reader of this text should 
substitute either Program of Work D or Program of 
Work E. 

For copies of the new Programs of Work write to the 
General Sunday School Board, 810 Broadway, Nash- 
ville, Tenn., or to your Conference Superintendent of 
Sunday School Work. 


eae 


12s 


oe 
e 
oe 
isi 
‘ 








ITS PLANS AND WORK 


VEG se 
L. F. SENSABAUGH 





” COKESBURY TRAINING SERIES 
E.B.CHAPPELL,EDITOR 


NASHVILLE, TENN. 
COKESBURY PRESS 
1930 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 
ITS PLANS AND WORK 


CopYRIGHT, 1924 
BY 
Lamar & BartTomw 


U 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 





DEDICATION 


To My Father 
THE REVEREND O. F. SENSABAUGH 
Who for nearly fifty years, as 
an itinerant Methodist preach- 
er, has ardently supported the 
work of the Sunday school 
this little volume, 


IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 


‘ 
{ 
| 





CONTENTS 


PUI UUTION Si cris cla oo ela we bets 
CHAPTER I 
CM reeset A Wa KOM ITO. sli re ks ae gia Sly wa Gib. bg levee aha suary 4 
CHAPTER I] 
Organizing the Small Sunday School... 
CHAPTER III 
Selecting and Training the Workers.... 
CHAPTER IV 
PPIGENY OL OTS VACOUTCIl eae eS en Che cra cod shaegie eighal shee tie e ernla oils 
CHAPTER V 
PMNS CA YO CSSION 5 oo, soulersa:s eon. vin alehel ave 
CHAPTER VI 
Worsnipand Lraifing in) Worship... i 6 os. eee els dsis'e asia. 
CHAPTER VII 
What to Teach—Lesson Courses....... 
CHAPTER VIII 
PROC UN EMEA VUB OS) cea ie ere ely yr ats tl a ola lag Lig wlphe aie! died 
CHAPTER IX 
ad Rg OLS QT OS LGU OR Re OPN aoe A 
CHAPTER X 
BOCOrds ANC REPOS. tek cee ie 


CHAPTER XI 
Sunday School Building and Equipment 


CHAPTER XII 


eeeee oer eeeeeeees 


oreer eevee ee eeoe eee 


eoeereeeoeeeeeee ere 


eevee ere eos e ee eere 


oscereeoereerer see eevee 


oe? eo eee er eer eevee © oo 


The Sunday School Worker as an Evangelist............. 


7 


PAGE 


26 


36 


48 


56 


62 





INTRODUCTION 


For a number of years there has been a growing ap- 
preciation of the necessity for a trained leadership in 
the work of the Sunday school. The early efforts for 
securing such a trained leadership found expression in 
institutes, summer camps, and various types of con- 
ferences. Training through these agencies served a 
good purpose and laid the foundation for a thorough- 
going and systematic type of training that was due to 
follow. 

Just after the War between the States, Dr. John H. 
Vincent, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, conceived 
the idea of a permanent training school for Sunday 
school workers and established such a school on Lake 
Chautauqua, New York. Tens of thousands of Sunday 
school workers of America have journeyed to Lake 
Chautauqua in order that they might receive informa- 
tion and inspiration in the great school of principles and 
methods that was conducted there. 

In the year 1901, Doctor James Atkins, later Bishop 
Atkins, then Sunday School Editor and Chairman of 
the Sunday School Board, initiated the plan to estab- 
lish a Department of Teacher-Training; and Doctor 
H. M. Hamill, then prominent as a leader in the In- 
ternational Sunday School Association, was called to 
be the superintendent of this department and to launch 
a program of teacher-training in the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, South. This, it should be noted, was 
the first Department of Teacher- Training regularly es- 
tablished by any of the denominations in this country. 

9 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


A course of study entitled ‘‘A Bible Teachers’ Study 
Circle’’ was planned, consisting of six texts divided into. 
two courses. The first course contained three texts— 
‘Sunday School History and Method,” “‘The Sunday 
School Teacher,’ and “‘Bible Studies.’’ The second course 
contained texts on ““The History of Methodism,” “‘Our 
Doctrines and Polity,’ and ‘The Bible and Its Books.” 
In addition to these, there was a special text for officers 
of the organized Sunday school. 

Doctor Hamill was in a sense a ‘‘ voice in the wilder- 
ness’’ undertaking single-handed to arouse the Church 
to the need of training its teachersand officers. Hespent 
alarge part of his time traveling over the Church, con- 
ducting Sunday School Institutes and preparing the 
way for the organized movements that were developed 
later in this field. 

Following the organization of the Religious Educa- 
tion Association, a number of leading educators began 
a careful study of the problems of religious education, 
especially as it related to the Sunday school. Promi- 
nent in the discussion of this group was the problem of 
a more adequate training course for Sunday school of- 
ficers and teachers. Thus, before the beginning of the 
World War in 1914, it had become obvious that a new 
type of teacher-training was needed by all the denomi- 
nations—a course more fully in harmony with the well- 
recognized principles of modern psychology and peda- 
gogy. In 1914, the Sunday School Council of Evan- 
gelical Denominations determined to take the steps 
necessary to create such a course. 

In January of 1915 Dr. Hamill passed away, and in 


August of the same year Rev. John W. Shackford, of 
10 


INTRODUCTION 


the Virginia Conference, was elected as Superintendent 
of the Department of Teacher-Training, and thus be- 
came from the very first associated with the committee 
of the Sunday School Council in its work of outlining 
a new course of study. 

In collaboration with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church the eight general units of the Standard Training 
Course were developed. And in codperation with an 
interdenominational group representing several de- 
nominations the specialization courses were outlined. 

The units of the Standard Training Course are as 
follows: ‘‘ Pupil Study,”’ ‘‘ Principles of Teaching,”’ ‘‘Or- 
ganization of the Sunday School,’ ‘‘Bible,’” ‘‘The 
Christian Religion,”’ ‘‘Worship,”’ ‘‘The Church and Its 
Work,” ‘‘Missionary Message of the Bible,’’ ‘‘The 
Learning Process,’ “‘How to Teach Religion,’ and 
specialization units for each age group and in adminis- 
tration. 

This Standard Training Course was designed both 
in content and scope to meet the requirements of 
thoroughgoing training with the full recognition of the 
fact that there would remain certain types of needs, 
particularly in the smaller schools, which would not be 
met by this course. 

Notwithstanding the fact that a Standard Training 
Course was prepared with the larger and middle-sized 
schools in mind, it has nevertheless been used to a very 
great advantage for workers in hundreds of Sunday 
schools of the one-room or small-church type. 

In view of the obvious need for a training course 


wrought out with the smaller and less highly developed 
11 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


school in mind, the General Board has authorized the 
preparation of a briefer and simpler course to meet this 
need. 

This course is to be called the ‘‘Cokesbury Training 
Course,” and is to consist of eight units—six required 
and two electives—to be chosen from a number of sub- 
jects offered. The required units are as follows: ‘‘The 
Small Sunday School: Its Plans and Work;” ‘‘ The Sun- 
day School Worker: His Life and Work;” “‘The Sunday 
School Pupil;’’ ‘‘The Sunday School Teacher;’’ ‘‘How 
We Got Our Bible;’”? and ‘‘What Every Methodist 
Should Know.”’ The electives are to be chosen from 
the following subjects: “‘A Short History of Method- 
ism,” ‘‘Studies in the Life of Wesley,” ‘“‘Studies in the 
Life of Asbury,’’ ‘‘Elementary Work in the Small 
Church,”’ ‘‘Adolescent Work in the Small Church,” . 
“Work with Young People in the Small Church,” 
** Adult Work in the Small Church,” ‘‘ Evangelism,” and 
““Missions.”’ 

This volume is the first unit of the new training 
course. In its preparation the author has been guided 
by his own experience as superintendent and teacher 
in the very small Sunday school and as a Conference 
Superintendent whose work included several hundred 
small Sunday schools. This text has been prepared, 
not for the purpose of adding to the many volumes 
which have been written upon the Sunday school, but 
with the very definite purpose of helping that large 
number of officers and teachers who are laboring under 
handicaps, physical and otherwise, that are bast yn ta 
the small Church. 

12 


INTRODUCTION 


The author desires to express his gratitude and ap- 
preciation for the assistance rendered by Messrs. C. M, 
Dannelly and O. W. Moerner, who, as Conference Su- 
perintendents, criticized the content of the manuscript; 
to Dr. John W. Shackford for his assistance, counsel, 
and advice in the preparation of the text; to Rev. 
J. Q. Schisler, my associate in the training office; and to 
the editors of our Sunday school periodicals for revision 
and correction of the manuscript. 

As this little volume goes forth into the hands of the 
Sunday school workers who labor in the small schools, 
it is with the prayer and earnest desire that it may bring 
to them a larger vision and greater appreciation of their 
opportunity and responsibility. If it shall stimulate 
them to better work and bring them to a larger degree 
of satisfaction and a better equipment for the task, the 
author will be fully compensated. THE AUTHOR. 

13 





The Small Sunday School 


CHAPTER I 
THE PRESENT AWAKENING 
Jesus PLACES THE CHILD IN THE MIDST 


‘‘AnpD he took a child and placed it in the midst and 
said, To such as this belongeth the kingdom of 
Heaven.”’ 

It was nineteen centuries ago that these words fell 
from the lips of “‘the Friend of Little Children.”’ 
The attitude of Jesus toward childhood was also the 
attitude of the primitive Church. Whatever her other 
apostasies and errors, the Roman Catholic Church 
maintains the same attitude toward childhood down 
to this day, and her chief strength lies in her conserva- 
tion of the childhood of the Church. But in some of the 
denominations resulting from the Protestant Reforma- 
tion childhood was for a long time overlooked or neg- 
lected. The harsh theology of the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries, placing all emphasis upon dogmatic 
creeds and adult experience, relegated religious education 
to a minor place and sent the child into obscurity. 
Since it was believed that a human soul could move God- 
ward only whenirresistibly drawn by “‘ prevenient grace’’ 
and that the soul was helpless until ‘‘God’s own good 
time”’ should come for its salvation, it was not felt to 
be really important whether a child received religious 


training or not; and if such training was actually given, 
15 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





it was done only for the purpose of enabling the pupil 
more fully to enjoy some experience that might or might 
not come to him in the indefinite future. 

In later years, as Christian leaders and educators 
have given a more careful study to the doctrines and 
life of Jesus and also to child nature, they have come 
to realize that religion is not a foreign element that must 
be imported into human life, but that the religious 
nature is a part of man’s original equipment and that 
the expression of the religious instinct will depend upon 
the teaching and training that it is given from without. 
Hence all the great Protestant denominations have once 
more placed the child in the midst and are seeking to 
understand his religious nature and supply its needs. 

However, the fact must not be overlooked that some 
of the early reformers, like Martin Luther, saw clearly 
the spiritual values in childhood and provided for their 
instruction in the Bible, and classes organized by Luther 
and later by Wesley, along with their other efforts at 
public education, laid the foundation for our modern 
public free-school system. 


EARLY METHODISM AND THE CHILD 


From the first of his ministry, John Wesley preached 
the significance of the attitude of Jesus toward children, 
and he instructed his pastors to visit in the homes of the 
people and spend some time each week in the instruc- 
tion of children. During his visit to America as a minis- 
ter he founded what has been claimed by many to be 
the first Sunday school in America, and a tablet com- 


memorating this event has been erected at Savannah, 
16 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


Ga. When the Methodist movement took form in 
England he gave his full support to the work of or- 
ganizing Sunday schools wherever as many as ten 
children could be gathered together. Francis Asbury, 
the great leader and pioneer of American Methodism, 
gave particular attention to the instruction of children 
and the founding of Sunday schools at every preaching 
place. The present great interest in religious training 
fot childhood and youth is the result of the vision of 
these great leaders who recognized the place of the child 
in the kingdom and sought to make him central in the 
program of the Church. We are entering upon a day 
when Christian leaders everywhere are following the 
example of the Master and placing the ‘‘child in the 
midst.” 
THE SIGNS OF A NEW INTEREST 


There are many indications of a great awakening to 
the importance of religious education. This awaken- 
ing is expressing itself in several directions. 

More People. In the first place, there has never 
in the history of the Christian Church been so wide- 
spread an interest in the program of the Sunday school. 
For many years the Sunday school was thought of as 
an institution only for children. To-day there are 
many thousands of large and influential Bible classes of 
adults. Fathers and mothers are attending Sunday 
school. This, of course, has its effect upon the boys and 
girls. The Sunday school is being taken seriously by 
old and young alike, and the number and size of Sun- 
day schools are everywhere increasing. 


Better Lessons. A second result of the awakening is 
17 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





that we have become more interested in suitable lesson 
material. Only afew years ago little thought was given 
to adapting the lessons to the various ages and groups. 
Now much attention is given to lesson materials and 
methods of teaching suitable to each age. 

More Time. The third indication of the new inter- 
est is the fact that we are coming to appreciate the 
need of more time for teaching religion. The survey of 
the Interchurch World Movement has helped to em- 
phasize this need. It revealed the fact that while the 
Jews are giving 330 hours a year to the religious educa- 
tion of their children and the Roman Catholics are 
giving 200 hours to specific religious instruction, 
Protestants are devoting less than twenty-four hours 
a year to the task of teaching religion. There is now, 
however, a widespread movement in the direction of 
giving an increased amount of time to the religious 
education of our children. Plans are under way for the 
expansion of the present program of teaching to in- 
clude one or more week-day periods. | 

Better Organization. Another indication of an awak- 
ening is the rapid advance that has been made in the 
matter of organization. The Sunday school is no longer 
a mass meeting of all grades and ages. It is becoming 
an organized school, with a program of instruction, 
worship, and service planned with reference to the 
needs of the various groups that make up the school. 
Sound educational principles are coming to be recog- 
nized as necessary in the Church school of religion just 
as much as they are in the day school. 


Better Buildings. Another characteristic indication 
18 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


of the awakening interest of the Protestant Church on 
the subject of religious education is to be found in 
the great movement now sweeping over the country 
for securing better buildings and equipment. The 
church of yesterday was erected with the adult in mind; 
the pews, the literature, the songbook, the serv- 
ices were all designed for the use of grown men and 
women. There was literally no place for the child in 
the Church. The lesson, the prayers, and song, the 
whole service was in the language of an adult. There 
is a very touching and beautiful little song that we 
sometimes sing at Christmas, ‘‘There was no place for 
the Babe in the inn.’”’ In a large measure it has been 
true that there was no place for the child in the Church. 
But we are upon the threshold of a new and better day. 
Millions of dollars are now being spent in the erection 
of new church buildings, and in many cases due em- 
phasis and proper places are given to the needs of 
children and young people in the plans of buildings. 
Increased Interest in Training. Another indication 
of the awakening in religious education is the great 
army of voluntary Sunday school officers and teach- 
ers who are seeking diligently to make themselves 
more efficient for the work of teaching and training our 
children and youth. This great army of voluntary work- 
ers is catching a larger and clearer vision of what it 
means to be colaborers together with God in the bring- 
ing in of his kingdom, and with zeal and enthusiasm 
they are entering upon the task of equipping them- 
selves for this large service. Of all the indications point- 
ing toa new day, none peiageneice hope for the religious 
1 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


education of childhood and youth than the eagerness 
with which this increasing number of pastors, officers, 
and teachers is seeking better equipment. 


MAKING THE OLD SUNDAY SCHOOL NEW 


The story is told that when the board of directors of 
a great railway system determined upon building a new 
terminal station in an eastern city to meet the needs of 
their growing business they called in certain engineers 
and architects and gave instructions for the drawing of 
the plans for a great building. The plans were finally 
completed, the board of directors was in session, the - 
engineers and architects had made their report, and a 
vote was to be taken ordering the construction to be- 
gin, when the superintendent of transportation arose 
from his place at the directors’ table and asked the 
question: ‘‘Gentlemen, you are planning to build these 
new buildings on the site of our old ones. It will take 
five years to complete this task. What do you propose 
to do with the traffic that we now have while the new 
building is being erected?’ This question made it 
necessary to draw new plans that would permit traffic 
to continue uninterrupted while the new building took 
the place of the old. This is our task. We must lose 
none of the values of theold Sunday school. We must 
save all the best and gradually build out of it a better 
Sunday school. 

How to Begin. It wili require much patience and 
hard work to transform the old school into the new one. 
Three words may well be remembered as the pastor, 


officer, or teacher begins the task of working over the 
20 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





old Sunday school, grit, grace, and gumption. Grit, 
because there will be many disappointments, and it 
will require patience and perseverance as the ambi- 
tious worker pushes toward the goal. Grace, because 
sometimes those who ought to assist will be found pull- 
ing back, and the art of keeping sweet will need to be 
highly developed. Gumption, another word for com- 
mon sense, tact in dealing with the work and workers. 
All the workers will not have caught the same vision 
or in the same degree, and it will be necessary for the 
one who has caught the vision to try at first to lead 
others to the same vision before progress can be made. 

Two other elements are essential to success, en- 
thusiasm and information. Many an effort is wasted 
because one or the other of these elements is lacking. 

The first step in beginning to make the old Sunday 
school over into a new one is to secure Correct informa- 
tion as to what ought to be done and then make definite 
plans for beginning. 

Different Programs for Different Schools. It will 
be readily agreed that schools of different sizes and 
meeting in various kinds of buildings will need to adopt 
different programs or plans. Thousands of Sunday 
schools meet in churches and schoolhouses with but one 
room. Others will have a few classrooms in addition 
to the main auditorium, while others will have sepa- 
rate rooms for each class and an assembly room for 
each department. Of course the same plans cannot be 
used in all of these schools. 

Illustration of Types. The General Sunday School 


Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 
21 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


has recognized that the size of the school and the phys- 
ical equipment have much to do in determining the 
quality of work that can be done and has estab- 
lished three plans or ‘‘ Programs of Work”’ for our Sun- 
day schools. 

The Type ‘‘A”’ Program of Work is prepared for the 
large school where provision can be made for an as- 
sembly room for each age group and a separate room 
for each class. 

The Type “'B”’ Program of Work, or the classroom 
type, is planned for the school that has a limited provi- 
sion for departmental assembly and a reasonable num- 
ber of classrooms. 

The Type ‘“‘C”’ Program of Work is planned for the 
school that has very limited physical equipment— 
where the larger part of the membership must meet in 
the one big room that is used for the preaching service 
and where there are few, if any, classrooms. The physical 
equipment largely determines the form of organization, 
and this last-named program of work is prepared for 
schools that number two hundred or less working 
under limited physical conditions. 

The purpose of this book is to discuss the principles 
and methods involved in carrying out the program of 
Work for the Type “‘C’’ Sunday school, and it is given 
here to guide the study of the text. 


PROGRAM OF WoRK, TYPE ‘‘C” 


The aim of this Program of Work is to offer a plan 
by which the Sunday school may lead each pupil to a 


knowledge of God’s will and an acceptance of Jesus Christ 
Hts 3 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


as personal Saviour and Lord, and to develop a Chris- 
tian character that is expressed through worship, right 
living, and efficient service. 
RSET OT ees kl A ONL, We a Oe 10% 
School divided into at least the following groups: 
Beginner-Primary, four to eight years, inclusive; 
Junior, nine, ten, and eleven (or twelve) years, in- 
clusive; Intermediate-Senior, (twelve) thirteen to 
seventeen years, inclusive; Young People-Adult, eight- 
een years and over. Two extension departments: (1) 
Cradle Roll Department, (2) Home Department. 
Annual Promotion Day. All classes above twelve years 
old organized and enrolled as Wesley classes. 
PURO OCHOOL SESSIOT sock Ra ahe «chic Haba eaten 10% 
At least a one-hour session every Sunday—not less 
than fifteen minutes for worship and a thirty-minute 
class period. 
TROMUORRETS COUNCIL | oi Sirus oe la thie Ruled We ae sen 10% 
Workers’ Council held Sebi or quarterly; all 
teachers and officers attending regularly and making 
reports. 
LEN ES CTE EES GPSRU RE WS OPAL RSs NCS GOO ROU UR ETE SOS 10% 
The school using our own literature, or only such 
other material as may be approved by the General 
Sunday School Board. The Graded Primary Course 
used for the Beginner-Primary group, with story method 
of teaching. 
V, Butidings and Equipment... i \ovicece cee nees 10% 
Screens separating classes during lesson period. 
Buildings and grounds kept in good condition. Com- 


fortable seats for Beginners and Primaries. Black- 
23 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


boards. All remodeling or new building plans in keep- 
ing with the requirements of our denomination. 
VilnuWorshtp and Services! Wii ee eee 10% 

A regular program of worship prepared in advance 
and conducted in a quiet atmosphere. Songbooks 
approved by the General Sunday School Board. Mis- 
sionary and other types of Christian service emphasized. 
Vili Leadership Tratneng sion) Gaye kien Dee 10% 

Some one definitely in charge of training work. Each 
officer and teacher reading at least one approved book 
a year or studying one of our Standard Training 
Courses. Training Day annually. 

VILIT. Hoangelisag oa uy eee cn 10% 

Confession or Decision Day observed annually as 
recommended by the General Sunday School Board. 
LXioSundasy' School Dayo ei oa Noelia ho tee 10% 

Annual Sunday School Day observed with program 
and offering sent to Conference Sunday School Board. 
Xi General: Requirements.::'. . 0.15 oon gale 10% 

Accurate records kept for classes and school. Average 
attendance for the year 50%. Representation in and 
accurate reports to denominational, pastoral charge, 
and district Sunday school meetings. Annual survey 
with follow-up plans. 

{NoteE.—When a Sunday school attains 60% of this 
Program, it is designated as a ‘‘ Progressive School’’; 
when 80% is attained, it is known as an ‘‘Advanced 
School’; when 100%, it is a ‘Standard School’’—in 
each case of ‘“‘Type C.’’ All requirements under any 
One point must be met before any credit on that point 


can be claimed. | 
24 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


TIME AND PATIENCE REQUIRED 


The Sunday school worker must not make the fatal 
mistake of trying to carry out all parts of the pro- 
gramatonce. Select certain points as an objective and 
keep working at them till they are accomplished, then 
add others fromtime to time. It will require much time 
and patience, and success will come only by being ever- 
lastingly at it. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Why is the Sunday school an important institution? 

2. From a reading of the New Testament, what was the atti- 
tude of Jesus toward children? 

3. In what way did Mr. Wesley show his interest in children? 

4, What are some of the indications of an increasing interest 
in the work of the Sunday school? 

5. Why does it take time to improve the condition of a Sun. 
day school? 

6. Why is it necessary to have a different program for schools 
of different sizes? 


25 


CHAPTER II 
ORGANIZING THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Factors THAT DETERMINE ORGANIZATION 


IF one were to come into a community with the an- 
nouncement that he proposed to erect a manufacturing 
establishment and should call upon the citizens to as- 
sist in financing his enterprise, there are three questions 
that would naturally arise in the minds of interested 
persons. First, what is the character of the raw ma- 
terial that is to be used? Second, what is the finished 
product that is to be taken from the factory? Third, 
how large a supply of raw material will be available for 
use? When these questions are answered the work of 
organizing a company, erecting a building, and install- 
ing machinery can be considered. 

These same questions arise when we consider or- 
ganizing the Sunday school. We must know something 
of the raw material and how large a quantity we will 
have. 

The raw material that comes to the Sunday school 
consists of folks—all kinds of folks, rich and poor, 
learned and unlearned, young and old, and all ages 
between, religious and irreligious. It will be the duty 
of the Sunday school to receive all of these folks and to 
undertake to teach them about Christ and how to live 
the Christian way, train them in worship, and help 
them to live their lives in Christian fellowship and serv- 


ice. The extent of the organization will of necessity 
26 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





be determined by the needs of these persons and by the 
total number that are to be reached. 

The organization for a school with an enrollment of 
fifty will be far simpler than for a school of an enroll- 
ment of two hundred. But, no matter how small the 
school may be, some organization is necessary. ‘The 
organization must also take into account the fact that 
childhood and youth are growing and learning year by 
year and that each group must be ministered to accord- 
ing to its particular needs. In planning the organiza- 
tion it must also be remembered the pupil is central in 
the plan. The school does not exist in order that officers 
and teachers may be elected nor that their wishes or 
ideals may prevail, but it exists in order that the need 
of all the pupils in the schoal may be met. 


PERSONNEL OF ORGANIZATION 


When we consider organization we naturally think of 
certain officers, and always there are needed a sufficient 
number of officers to attend to the various tasks of the 
organization. The simpler the organization the fewer 
the officers. 

1. The Pastor. Since the school is engaged in a 
spiritual task, it is the natural thing to recognize that 
the pastor, who is thespiritual leader of the congregation, 
is also the chief officer in the Sunday school. His 
counsel and advice should be sought in forming the 
policies and selecting the officers and teachers. He will 
not undertake the details of administration, but he will 
be vitally concerned with the whole task of the religious 
training of those who anaes Sunday school. 

2 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


2. The Superintendent. ‘This officer is the execu- 
tive head of the Sunday school. Upon him rests the 
responsibility for superintending the entire organiza- 
tion. He will largely be responsible for working out the 
details of the organization and for presenting plans and 
policies and selecting and training his associates in the 
work. He should be a good executive, should hold the 
confidence of the people in the community, should be 
informed on educational matters, and above all should 
be religious. His standing in the community as the 
Sunday school superintendent will have a great influ- 
ence for good or evil upon the childhood and youth en- 
rolled in his Sunday school. 

Where it is possible it will be advisable for the su- 
perintendent to have an assistant who will share with 
him the responsibilities of superintending the whole 
school. Frequently a faithful superintendent will have 
grown old in service. It will be well for him to call to 
his assistance a younger man upon whom his mantle 
may fall. When such an assistant is selected, the 
superintendent should share with him in full measure 
both the duties and honor of the position. 

3. Secretary. Every Sunday school will need some 
responsible person who will make up and preserve the 
records, look after the supplies, and attend to many of 
the duties that always fall upon such a person. Ac- 
curacy, neatness, thoughtfulness, and a spirit of mutual 
helpfulness should always be evident in this person. 
The Secretary needs to be very tactful in trying to get 
the information that he seeks from the teachers and 
classes. A disagreeable Matar may ruffle the feel- 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


ings of every officer and teacher in the Sunday school, 
or he can help materially in making everything run 
smoothly. 

4. The Treasurer. Many a Sunday school runs 
hopelessly in debt because no one has been responsible 
for a definite financial policy, and the credit of some 
Sunday schools has been ruined because of the care- 
lessness of the Sunday school treasurer in meeting the 
obligations that have been incurred. This office may 
be combined with that of secretary, but most frequently 
it will be better to select some other person to fill this 
position. 

5. Leader of Music. If there is some one in the Sun- 
day school who understands and has a real appreciation 
of good music and who knows how to lead group sing- 
ing in a worshipful way, this person should be asked to 
lead the singing. It may be that the superintendent 
is this person, it may be some teacher or the pastor, 
but some one should be definitely in charge of this phase 
of the work. 

6. Teachers. The next chapter will be devoted to 
an extended discussion of selecting and training the 
workers, hence no extended statement is necessary at 
this point other than to point out that the teachers are 
to be considered as officers of the school, and as such are 
to have a definite part in the forming of plans and poli- 
cies of organization. 


THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF 


1. Separate into Groups. The Program of Work for 
the Type ‘“‘C’”’ Sunday school makes the fellowing pro- 
29 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





vision: ‘‘The school should be divided into at least the 
following groups—Beginner-Primary, four to eight 
years, inclusive; Junior, nine to eleven, inclusive; In- 
termediate-Senior, twelve toseventeen, inclusive; Young 
People-Adult, eighteen and over.”” This means that the 
school with from twenty-five to thirty-five in attendance 
should make provision for four separate groups, divided 
as just indicated. In a school of this size each of these 
groups would constitute a class. In a school with a 
larger attendance there will be two or more classes 
within each group. Each group having two or more 
classes would constitute a department, and some per- 
son, probably one of the teachers, would be designat- 
ed as superintendent of this group or department. 

2. Classes. As soon as the desire to organize be- 
gins to make itself manifest in classes above twelve 
years of age each class should be organized and en- 
rolled as a Wesley class. The purpose of this is clear. 
During this period the loyalties of life begin to develop, 
and the best point of contact that the Church has with 
the adolescent boy or girl is through the Sunday school 
class. If the class is organized with a charter that iden- 
tifies it with his Church, it will be an easy matter to ex- 
pand loyalty to the class till it includes loyalty to the 
school and loyalty to the Church. There are many 
activities in which an organized class can take part that 
will tend to interest and hold the group together and by 
means of which more valuable service can be rendered. 

Good leaflet literature has been prepared and may 
be had free, upon request of the General Sunday School 


Board, that explains fully the method of organization 
30 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


of Wesley classes—how to enroll with the various de- 
partments and programs of service and activities for 
organized classes. 

3. Illustration of Organization. Let us suppose that 
we have a Sunday school with six children who are 
four and five years of age and twelve children who are 
six, seven, and eight years of age. These eighteen chil- 
dren would all be in the Beginner-Primary Department, 
but could be divided into three classes—one class com- 
posed of the children four and five. This would be the 
Beginner class. Another class would be composed of 
the children six and seven years of age, and the third 
class would contain the children eight years of age. 

Suppose we have twelve children in the Junior group. 
This group would be divided into two classes, one of 
boys and one of girls, or two classes of both boys and 
girls. 

In none of these classes ought we to have more than 
ten pupils—eight would be much better. 

Let us say that we have twenty-five pupils ranging 
in ages from twelve to seventeen. This group we can 
divide into four classes, two of boys and two of girls; or, 
if the ages and sex are not equally distributed, classes 
can be made up according to age. 

When we come to the group of young people we can 
easily throw both sexes together and provide for a much 
larger class group. Fifteen or even twenty-five would 
form a most excellent young people’s class. The adult 
group might be taught as one class or divided into two 
classes, one for men and one for women. Here we have 


planned the organization of a school of about ninety 
a 


a a ES Se ES EE OES ES 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


that has recognized the four different groupings and has 
provided for the necessary classes within each group. 

4. Extension Work. The school worthy of a name 
will want to reach out to those who are unable to attend 
its sessions. The babies who are too young to come 
should be placed ona Cradle Roll and recognized as mem- 
bers of the school. There are older persons who have 
to work on Sunday morning, some who are sick, and 
mothers who are kept at home with little children. All 
of these ought to be identified with their own group in 
the Sunday school, and each age group should make 
definite plans for enlisting and enrolling all the shut-ins 
and shut-outs as extension members of the school. 


PROGRESS AND PROMOTION 


1. Need for Promotion. The organization just out- 
lined places the pupils in their proper group at a given 
time, but the boys and girls will insist upon growing, 
and this means that we must make provision so that 
at least once a year we can promote those who have 
outgrown a department into the next department. It 
is a serious defect in a school to fail to recognize that 
boys and girls are making progress in their Sunday 
school as well as in their day school. A temptation 
comes to many teachers to hold on to the older members 
of the class and add younger members as they come into 
the school. This causes the older pupils in the class to 
become dissatisfied. It has led many a boy and girl to 
quit coming to Sunday school at the earliest oppor- 
tunity. This is particularly true when younger children 
come into the Junior group or when the Junior comes 

32 


aren ane: 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


into the Intermediate group. The Junior boy just does 
not want to be in the same class with little ‘“‘kids,’’ and 
an Intermediate pupil has a marked contempt for chil- 
dren of the Junior age. 

2. A Definite Plan for Promotion. This calls for 
a systematic plan for promoting pupils from one age 
group to another as often as once each year. For illus- 
tration: If there should be fifteen children who are six, 
seven, and eight years of age at the beginning of the 
school year, by the beginning of the next school year a 
number of these would be nine years old. All such 
pupils, with rare exceptions, should be officially pro- 
moted into the Junior group. This will call for a re- 
organization of the whole school at the beginning of 
each school year. 

3. Promote the Pupil, Not the Teacher. A very im- 
portant point to be observed in promotion from one 
division to another is the rule that the pupil is to be 
promoted, not the teacher. Where a division has more 
than one class, it may be well to have the teacher start 
with the youngest class in that division and carry that 
class on to the next division; but here the teacher should 
stop and let the pupils go on. Circumstances may 
sometimes render it a wise plan to depart from this 
rule; but such departures should clearly be exceptions, 
and not the rule. We shall probably not go far wrong 
if we remember always that the school exists for the 
pupil, and not the pupil for the school. ‘‘The need of 
the pupil is the law of the school.” In a matter of this 
sort the most interested parties are not always the 
wisest judges of what is best. It is possible for teachers 


33 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


unconsciously to allow selfish motives to creep into their 
work. It is natural for a teacher to become greatly 
attached to a pupil who has been in her class a long time 
and has done good work, but a teacher’s affection must 
not get in the way of fair treatment for the pupil. Sym- 
metrical religious development requires that a pupil 
come under the influence of more than one Christian 
character, and the type of teaching and of personality 
that would be most helpful to a Beginner pupil might 
be wholly unsuited to the work of religious education 
for an adolescent. There are two advantages in chang- 
ing teachers at least every three or four years: The 
pupil is more likely to be placed in contact with person- 
alities best suited to his needs at different periods of 
growth, and the teacher becomes more efficient by re- 
peating her work. If it is a good rule for a public school 
teacher to keep the same grade of work year after year, 
why is it not a good rule also for the Sunday school 
teacher? | 

4. Time for Promotion. It is usually best to have 
a definite day set aside for promotion, and this has come 
to be designated as ‘‘Promotion Day.” The last Sun- 
day in September has been found to be well fitted to 
this observance. Many Sunday schools begin the new 
school year on the first Sunday in October. Promotion 
should take place before the work of the new year be- 
gins. Nothing will inspire the pupil more than public 
recognition of the fact that he.is making progress. 
Promotion Day will help to keep the school properly 
graded and tend to tie the pupils onto the organization 
for a long period of time. 


34 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


Interesting exercises can be had at the eleven o’clock 
hour, and most pastors will be glad to assist in working 
out plans for the observance of the day and will take 
pleasure in awarding suitable certificates of promotion 
from department to department. Beautiful certificates 
can be had at a reasonable price and should be signed 
by the teacher, the superintendent, and the pastor. 
The public delivery of these certificates will add interest 
and dignity to the occasion. Such a service will give 
the pastor a splendid opportunity for magnifying the 
work of the Sunday school and will encourage the mem- 
bers to stay with their Sunday school work. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. What are some of the conditions to be considered in organiz- 
ing the Sunday school? 

2. What relation does the pastor sustain to the Sunday school? 

3. What is the relation of the pastor to the officers and teachers? 

4, What are some of the qualities of a good Sunday school super- 
intendent? Ofa good secretary? Of a good teacher? 

5. Give some reasons why it is best to separate the school into 
groups according to age. 

6. On this basis plan a proper organization for your own school. 

7. Why is it necessary to provide for promotion in the Sun- 
day school? 

8. Name some reasons why the teacher should not be promot- 
ed with the pupil. 

9. When is the best time to observe promotion, and why? 


35 


CHAPTER III 
SELECTING AND TRAINING THE WORKERS 


WorRKERS ALWAYS NEEDED 


AN institution which carries on its work with volun- 
tary help will always have the problem of a changing 
personnel. It is inevitable, therefore, that there should 
be constant changing among the officers and teachers 
of the Sunday school. People move out of the communi- 
ty, young people go away to college or to work, some 
are overtaken with sickness or misfortune, and some die. 
This makes it necessary for every Sunday school to 
have a definite policy for filling the places that are 
vacated. There is nothing more discouraging to a Sun- 
day school class than to meet Sunday after Sunday 
without a regular teacher, and nothing will wreck the 
Sunday school quicker than to undertake to carry on 
the work with first one and then another serving as 
officers or teachers. That there will be vacancies must 
be a recognized fact, and plans should be made with this 
factin mind. Vacancies in the Sunday school cannot be 
filled by wishing. ‘If wishes were horses, beggars would 
ride’; and if wishing would secure officers and teachers, 
we should always have an abundant supply. The only 
way to secure workers is to be constantly on the look- 
out for them and anticipate the needs of the school. 
A good teaching force does not just happen; it must be 
selected and developed. 

36 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





WHERE SHALL WE FIND TEACHERS? 


1. In the Community. In every community where 
Sunday school workers are needed there are people who 
are capable of running the stores and shops, of serving 
as postmaster, civil officers, school-teachers, stewards, 
and trustees in the Church. During the World War we 
found that every community in America had in it peo- 
ple who could organize, who could sell liberty bonds, 
who could make speeches for the government, who 
could recruit soldiers—in fact, who could do all kinds of 
things. It is not that our communities are lacking in 
people capable of rendering service, but the failure lies 
in the fact that when we need folks to do religious work 
we have not searched them out, put the matter on their 
consciences, and challenged them with the opportunity 
of service. There are some people more gifted and 
better trained for religious leadership than others, but 
every Church and every community has many men and 
women capable of rendering a large and successful 
service. What needs to be done is to search them out 
and help train them for the task. 

Among those who are the best equipped for working 
in the Sunday school will be the public school teachers. 
The great majority of these are devout and interested 
Christian men and women. The objection is sometimes 
raised that they are only in the community for eight 
or nine months; but even so, the special training that 
they have had for teaching makes it very desirable that 
they should be enlisted during the time that they are 
in the community. Better have first-class teaching 


_ eight or nine months in the year than to have only poor 
37 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


or fair teaching for the twelve months. Every public 
school teacher who is a member of the Church ought 
to render service of the Church in the community where 
he teaches. 

2. In the Local Church. Some years ago a speaker 
before a group of Sunday school workers made the 
statement that there was plenty of good material in 
every Church to carry on its work. A Sunday school 
superintendent challenged the statement and _ said: 
“That may be true of other Churches; it is not true 
here.’”” He concluded his statement with the challenge 
that the speaker could stay in town for a whole week 
and not find a single person capable of teaching an 
adult class. The challenge was accepted. The pastor, 
the speaker, and the superintendent spent some time 
in the study of the Church roll and inquired into the pos- 
sibilities of various persons. Some were investigated 
who had been members and regular attendants of the 
Church for a number of years. To the surprise of the 
superintendent, it was found in that small Church there 
were seven college graduates—three men and four 
women—not one of whom had ever been asked to take 
a Sunday school class. Four were selected and visited. 
Of these, two responded cheerfully to the challenge and 
said that they had ofttimes wished that they might 
render some such service. Several years have passed, 
and both of these are still teaching in that Church. 
One of them has built up a large adult class. There 
are such persons in almost every Church. They need 
to be interested, enlisted, and set to work. 

3. In the Homes of the resi A majority of those 

3 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


who are active in the work of the Church to-day are 
people who were reared in the best Christian homes, 
Such homes are the logical places to look for young peo- 
ple to be enlisted for service. A superintendent once 
complained of the scarcity of teachers, and his pastor 
suggested to him that in his own home were two of the 
finest and brightest young people in the city and that 
these young people were all but losing interest in the 
Sunday school and Church because nothing had been 
provided for them to do—there was no place to work. 
Even their own father had failed to discover them. 
Our trouble is not so much in a shortage of prospects 
as in the fact that we have never systematically set 
about finding and enlisting them for service. In plan- 
ning for the future be sure to look carefully among the 
sons and daughters that are in our Christian homes, 
who have had the background of a Christian home life. 
Select these and set them to a definite task. 


CHOOSING THE WORKERS 


1. Who Shall Be Chosen? Who should be invited to 
become an officer or teacher in the Sunday school? 
This is a vital question. Surely not just anyone; for 
religion is caught as well as taught, and one cannot teach 
what one does not know. Religion is an experience, and 
one cannot fully teach anything that he has not veri- 
fied. The teacher may teach about Christ; but if he is 
to teach Christ, he must live in fellowship with him. 
But many a person has grown cold in the religious ex- 
perience because he has not been working at religion. 


One of the best ways to warm up a Christian experience 
39 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


is to get to work at a Christian task. It is particularly 
true that young men and young women ofttimes drift 
away from Christ and the Church into worldly living 
because the Church has not afforded them an opportuni- 
ty for service. Care should be exercised in choosing 
people who are too young. Teachers should be persons 
who have reached a degree of religious maturity that 
will enable them clearly to understand the Christian 
life. Boys and girls under sixteen years of age may well 
begin to prepare for teaching; but if they are ever to be 
successful teachers, it is at this period that they need 
to be in a class and not teaching a class. A good pros- 
pect for a teacher may easily be spoiled like the picking 
of unripe fruit before it is ready. 

2. How Shall We Extend the Invitation? Shall we 
make a casual, indifferent call for volunteers, or shall 
the officers and teachers be hand picked, chosen for a 
particular task? The pastor and superintendent should 
select and carefully study prospective officers and 
teachers—visit with them and place before them the 
worth-whileness of the task. Never undertake to drive 
people to religion with the scourge of duty. Put it 
upon the high plane of Christian living and opportunity 
—let them know that their task will require work, 
patience, and time. A pastor was in search of a new 
superintendent and called upon a prominent business 
man in his community. This man was a university 
graduate and a born leader. The pastor opened the 
conversation by saying: ‘‘I have come to ask you to 
become superintendent of our Sunday school.’”’ The 


man replied: ‘“‘I do not have time to devote to such a 
40 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


great tas« as that.’’ To this the pastor answered: ‘‘O, 
you need not worry. About an hour and a quarter of 
your time on Sunday is all that you need to give to 
it.’ ‘‘Well,’’ said the man, ‘‘there are lots of men 
who could give one hour and a quarter a week; but if 
{ should take the job, [ would expect to give a good many 
hours every week to the task.’”’ This pastor made the 
fatal mistake of appealing to a big man by belittling 
a great task. 

3. Select for a Definite Task. Whenever an invita- 
tion is extended to anyone to accept a position in the 
Sunday school it should be for a definite piece of work. 
Do you need a teacher for junior boys? Then look for 
some one capable of teaching junior boys and offer 
him that particular place. One of the most frequent 
mistakes is in calling for volunteers and setting them to 
a particular task without investigating their special 
fitness for that work. The majority of failures in Sun- 
day school work lie just at this point. Willing persons 
have responded to an urgent call, but have not been put 
into the place where they could render their best serv- 
ice. Many teachers of little children would do much 
better work with older boys and girls, but when once 
assigned a task they do their best to fill it. 

4. Changing the Misfit. What to do with those who 
are not in the right places in the Sunday school is a 
real problem that confronts every pastor and superin- 
tendent. It will require time, patience, and much 
prayer to readjust the organization in such a way that 
feelings will not be wounded and good people lost to 
the school. The best nares of bringing about neces- 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


sary changes is for the pastor and superintendent to 
hold private interviews with the various teachers and 
frankly discuss their work with them. Many times, 
when the subject is brought up in a kindly way, the 
workers will volunteer the suggestion that another posi- 
tion would be more satisfactory, and frequently ex- 
changes may be brought about between two or more 
officers or teachers that will be satisfactory to all parties 
and much improve the work of the school. 


ELECTING OR APPOINTING THE WORKERS 


1. How Elected. Each denomination has its own 
method for electing or appointing its officers and teach- 
ers. In the Methodist Church the superintendent is 
elected by the Quarterly Conference upon nomination 
of the pastor. In turn, the superintendent, after con- 
ference with the pastor and with his approval, nomi- 
nates the other officers, who are elected in like manner 
by the Quarterly Conference. There should always be 
perfect accord between the pastor and superintendent, 
and personal feelings should not be allowed to enter 
into the selection of those who are to carry on so im- 
portant a work as the Sunday school. These persons 
elected by the Quarterly Conference, together with the 
pastor and not more than three other persons, constitute 
the Sunday School Committee. Upon the nomination 
of the superintendent, the pastor concurring, this com- 
mittee will elect the teachers and such other officers 
as have not already been elected. Many mistakes can 
be avoided if pastor, superintendent, and committee 


will give careful attention to this part of their work. 
42 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





2. Term of Office. The position of an officer or 
teacher in a Sunday school is not a lifetime job. Each 
should be elected or appointed annually, though one 
may be reappointed from year to year. No person 
should consider it an offense if in the judgment of those 
who are responsible another person is selected to take 
his place or if he should be transferred to another task. 
Many persons are utter failures in some positions but 
still succeed admirably in others. One of the chief 
duties of the Sunday School Committee is so to place 
the officers and teachers that each may render his best 
service. 

3. Supplies. Each person who holds a position in 
the Sunday school should have some other person ready 
to take his place in case of sickness or absence for 
other cause. For illustration: A superintendent can 
never tell when something will prevent his presence at 
Sunday school. He should have some one familiar 
with his duties to whom he can turn the affairs of the 
Sunday school over whenever necessary. It may be 
the pastor would be the proper person; but, better still, 
some young man in training for this particular service. 
In some of the older classes there are mothers and others 
who cannot serve as teachers regularly but who could 
be enlisted as substitutes or associate teachers to take 
the place of the regular teachers whenever absent. 
If the regular teacher expects to be absent, the sub- 
stitute should be advised as far in advance as possible 
and have the opportunity of preparing the lesson and 
being ready for Sunday morning. The substitute or 
associate teacher has a very Hanada position, and the 

4 


LD 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





position should be magnified and due recognition given 
to those who render such service. 


PREPARING FOR SERVICE 


1. Some One Responsible. In the program of every 
Sunday school there should be some one definitely in 
charge of training work. This would mean that the 
school has a plan looking toward the continual im- 
provement of the officers and teachers in service and a 
provision for the training of the young men and women 
who are to be the officers and teachers of to-morrow. 
Some one should have charge of training work. This 
may be the pastor, the superintendent, one of the of- 
ficers or teachers, a public school teacher, or some other 
person especially fitted for the task. Training is not 
just for a few, but for every officer and teacher. The 
whole school should move forward together, and it can 
only go forward as its leaders are prepared for their 
tasks. By reading new and good books the officers 
and teachers can keep up to date on modern methods 
of Sunday school work, and each should read at least 
one approved book a year or take for credit one of the 
units in the training course. Those who are studying 
this text are complying with this useful provision. The 
reading or study of good educational books will be very 
helpful. 

2. Officers and Teachers Training Class. For the 
officers and teachers in service a training class must be 
provided which will meet at some time during the week, 
but a class for young people can well be organized and 


taught during the Sunday school hour. There are 
44 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


various methods of conducting training classes. Quite 
frequently it has been found a successful and very con- 
venient method, when the pastor is leading the training 
class, to conduct it on the evening of the midweek 
prayer service, allowing about forty-five minutes to a 
devotional service and forty-five minutes to the study 
of some training text. Other schools have found an- 
other evening more convenient. It is customary to 
take one or two chapters for an evening’s study, pre- 
paring the lesson before the class assembles, and then 
discussing it under the direction of a leader. Many 
classes have been successfully conducted as follows: 
Organize the class, order the textbooks, let each mem- 
ber of the class secure a copy of the book and read it, 
then meet each evening for a week under the direction 
of a leader for an intensive study and review of the text, 
and at the close of the review take the examination. 
Information about how to take the training course, 
secure the questions, and stand the examination may 
be had by communicating with denominational head- 
quarters. There will always be some individuals who 
cannot take advantage of the class discussion and re- 
view, but who may meet the requirement of the program 
of work by taking the text for study and examination 
as an individual student. 

3. Class for Young People. The teaching force is 
always changing. We must provide for a constant 
supply of new workers. Wise indeed is the pastor or 
superintendent who can see possibilities for service in 
his group of young people and begin to train them for 
it. A Sunday morning training class will be one excel- 

45 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





lent way to prepare a group of young people to take 
the place of those who for any reason drop out. 

Every Sunday school should have a select group of 
young people in training at all times. 

4. Training Schools. Plans have been made whereby 
two or more schools on a circuit or in adjoining com- 
munities may unite in intensive study running over a 
period of a week, at which time two or more courses will 
be offered by capable instructors and the credits in the 
courses awarded. Where more than one subject is 
offered, students may have the privilege of choosing 
the unit which they will take. Such a school will create 
a fine spirit of fellowship and enthusiasm, and the in- 
spiration that comes from a number of schools joining 
in such an undertaking cannot be overestimated. 

For fuller information touching the training school, 
communicate with your Conference or State office or 
denominational headquarters. 

5. Training Day. The importance of observing 
training day cannot be overemphasized. It serves two 
very excellent purposes. If the observance is to be at 
the eleven-o’clock hour, it brings to the attention of the 
entire Church membership the fact that the officers 
and teachers in the Sunday school are constantly equip- 
ping themselves for better service. It magnifies the 
work of the Sunday school as an educational agency 
and puts it upon the same plane as the work of the day 
school. To the pupil it brings a higher appreciation of 
the work that is being done by officers and teachers. It 
magnifies the importance of religious teaching. The 
proper observance of training day may also challenge 

46 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


the attention and enlist for service some of the most 
capable people in the community. The very effort that 
is involved will create an interest upon their part. 

The apostle in the long ago was right when he said: 
‘Study to show thyself approved unto God.” The 
biggest task confronting the Protestant Church to-day 
is the task of religious education. Many homes are 
dismally failing as agencies of religious education. In 
a democracy like ours the public school cannot ade- 
quately teach religion. Therefore upon the Church 
school rests the responsibility of the religious education 
of the childhood of to-day, and in doing this we are 
determining what the Church of to-morrow will be. 
It is a task worthy of our best efforts and the greatest 
investment of time and talent, and every Christian 
who can should engage in this great undertaking. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Name some reasons why it is so hard to secure competent 
officers and teachers for the Sunday school. 

2. Where must we secure workers for the local Sunday school? 

3. Does the fact that our Sunday school officers and teachers 
are voluntary workers relieve them from the responsibility of 
securing the best possible preparation? 

4. How should the officers of the Sunday school be chosen, 
and when? 

5. How should the teachers be chosen, and for how long a period 
of service? 

6. What should be done with the officer or teacher who neg- 
lects his work? 

7. How many officers and teachers become better prepared? 

8. Why is it important to have a training class composed of 
young people? 

9. What value is there in observing a training day? 


47 


CHAPTER IV 
THE WORKERS’ COUNCIL 


THE WORKERS’ COUNCIL WORKING TOGETHER 


A SEESAWING team will never get the wagon out of 
the mire. It is only when they pull together that the 
wheels are made to turn. One of the reasons why there 
are so many mired Sunday schools the country over is 
because pastors, officers, and teachers do not under- 
stand the importance of teamwork. 

The third point in the Program of Work for the small 
school, as set forth in Chapter I, reads as follows: 
‘‘Workers’ Council held monthly or quarterly; all 
teachers and officers attending regularly and making 
reports.” This body is to the Sunday school what 
a board of directors is to a bank or to a business cor- 
poration. It is just what the name indicates, the 
workers taking counsel together on the plans and prob- 
lems of the Sunday school. There are so many phases 
of work,so many problems that arise, and so many things 
to be done that it will require the combined wisdom 
and experience of all of those who are engaged at the 
task to do the work as it should be done. Every officer 
and teacher should be interested in the work of every 
other officer and teacher and thus interested in the 
whole program of the school. Sometimes there is 
tound in the Sunday school the idea of individual owner- 
ship. The superintendent will speak of “my school” 
and undertake to run it as though he were the only 

48 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


person concerned. There are teachers who look upon 
their classes as personal possessions and are willing to 
look out for the interests of their own classes, but they 
are not much concerned about the other classes in the 
school. Such attitudes upon the part of officers and 
teachers will not produce the best results. The work 
is so large that it requires the codperative thinking and 
acting of every person involved. If the school is to 
run smoothly and progress is to be made, there must be 
teamwork. 

Around the Workers’ Council table every officer and 
teacher must feel perfectly free to make suggestions 
and criticisms and to offer plans that, in his judg- 
ment, would be good for the school. In such a frank 
and open conference some of the most valuable ideas 
and plans will be developed, ofttimes first suggested 
by one of the quiet members of the group. Superin- 
tendents are sometimes heard to complain that they 
do not have the whole-hearted support and coéperation 
of the pastor and of their teachers. It would be well 
for the complaining superintendent to ask himself: 
‘‘Have I sought their codperation, and have I taken 
them into my confidence in such a way as to secure their 
whole-hearted support?”’ Too often the difficulty lies 
in the fact that plans and programs are originated and 
handed down to be executed as though the superin- 
tendent were a military officer giving commands. The 
work of- the Sunday school is upon a very different 
basis from that of anarmy. All of the officers and teach- 
ers are workers together with God. Sunday school 


workers will cheerfully codperate in carrying out ‘‘our’”’ 
49 


ee en ne RE 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 








plans—that is, plans which they have had a part in 
making. They will be reluctant or indifferent in carry- 
ing out plans that have been handed down without 
consultation or conference. 

The reasons for the Workers’ Council may then be 
roughly summed up as follows: 

1. It will create a spirit of fellowship and comrade- 
ship among the workers. 

2. It will enable the workers to arrive at a common 
understanding of all the problems of the school. 

3. It will enable each worker in the school to profit 
by the experience of the other workers. 

4. It will enable the superintendent to plan a co- 
ordinated program for the whole school so that there 
shall be no confusion, conflict, or misunderstandings. 

5. It will enable the workers to study their plan of 
organization and bring it into harmony with the stand- 
ards that have been approved by successful Sunday 
school workers. 

6. It will provide a means of personal development, 
fitting the worker for more effective service. 


Wuo ARE MEMBERS OF THE WORKERS’ COUNCIL? 


The Workers’ Council is composed of the pastor, the 
superintendent, all the general officers of the school, 
all the teachers, and one representative from each of 
the groups of young people and adults. 

Each person holding membership in this body upon 
which the success of the school so much depends should 
feel himself under obligation to attend regularly and 


take part in all of its meetings. One would not want 
50 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


to keep his money in a bank if the board of directors 
never held a meeting to look over the books and check 
up on the work of the cashier and other officers. Such 
banks fail, and directors are always held responsible if 
they have neglected to perform their duties. Even a 
greater responsibility rests upon the members of the 
Workers’ Council. Not material wealth, but the re- 
ligious nurture of those who attend the Sunday school 
is involved. No teacher, officer, or pastor should ever 
criticize the work that is being done or complain about 
work that is not being done if he fails to attend and 
take part in the meetings of the Workers’ Council. 


WHEN AND WHERE THE COUNCIL SHALL MEET 


Referring again to Section 3 of the Program of Work, 
we note the provision that the Workers’ Council shall 
hold monthly or quarterly meetings. This does not 
mean that it meets the requirements to call a meeting 
at any time or place that the pastor or superintendent 
may desire. There must be a fixed time. Whether it 
be the first Monday or the last Friday in the month 
or any date between, it should be a definite date in the 
calendar. On a circuit where the pastor is present only 
once a month the Workers’ Council might be held in 
connection with this monthly visit some evening or even 
on Sunday afternoon. If possible, the time of meet- 
ing should always be arranged so that the pastor can be 
present. Heis avery important member of this body. 

Before fixing the time of meeting it is well to have the 
matter fully and freely discussed and settled by a ma- 


jority vote of all the members of the Council who are 
51 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


present. Care should be taken to avoid dates in the 
calendar that are already occupied. Do not undertake 
to hold it on the evening that has been chosen for the 
meeting of some important lodge. Experience will show 
that first Monday is not a good time. It is too near the 
first of the month when many people are very busy. 
Do not attempt to hold the Workers’ Council on the day 
that is used for picnics and celebrations or on the same 
date that the women hold their all-day missionary meet- 
ings. A date in the early or latter part of the month 
will be much preferable. Plans that are worked out 
will be fresher and more apt to succeed if put into opera- 
tion immediately following their making. 

When the date of the Council has once been set, let 
every member of the Council try to adjust his personal 
affairs and social engagements so that none of them 
will fall upon the evening that has been set aside for 
the monthly meeting of the Workers’ Council. If this 
is consistently done, the Workers’ Council will soon 
come to have a definite place in the calendar of every 
community. 

It is usually the best policy, though not absolutely 
essential, to hold the meeting at the same place from 
month to month, and that place should be convenient 
to reach and centrally located. The natural place for 
the meeting will be the church, though some home may 
serve the purpose as well. 


THE WorKERS’ CouNcIL PROGRAM 


One of the surest ways to hold the interest of the 
members of the Workers’ Council is to follow a care- 





Se te eee, 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





fully planned, instructive program. Set aside a definite 
period of time, not more than an hour and a half, It 
will usually take that long to carry out any construc- 
tive program, The workers are entitled to know how 
long this engagement will keep them, and the program 
must be worked out largely in the light of local condi- 
tions and needs. There are certain elements, however, 
that will need to enter into any well-balanced Workers’ 
Council program. 

1. There should be a devotional period led by the 
pastor or some other person who can conduct a fifteen- 
minute service of song and prayer, Scripture reading, or 
talk that will serve the purpose of deepening the re- 
ligious life of the workers. It is a serious and impor- 
tant task to plan the Lord’s work. It should be entered 
upon in a spirit of deep devotion. 

2. One of the requirements of the Workers’ Council 
is that the officers and teachers shall make reports. 
These reports should relate to the work committed to 
each person for the month past. The teachers will re- 
port upon their classes as to attendance, tardiness, 
preparation of the lesson, sickness in the home, or other 
items of interest to the whole group. The secretary and 
treasurer should make written reports to"be read to the 
Council, showing the condition of the whole school as 
to attendance, receipts, and expenditures. Particular 
attention should be given to the treasurer’s report in 
order that the workers may know the financial condi- 
tion of the school. Many a Sunday school runs hope- 
lessly into debt simply because the workers do not know 


that the collections have been too small to meet the 
53 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


expenditures. Reports concerning literature and sup- 
plies and other needs of the Sunday school should be 
made to the Workers’ Council. 

3. Recommendations from the pastor, from the Sun- 
day School Committee, and from the superintendent 
should be presented to the Council for full discussion. 
This will include laying the plans for special days, 
special features and added equipment, reorganization, 
additional finances, etc. 

4. Some time should be given to the definite study 
of immediate problems, such as irregularity in attend- 
ance, tardiness, lack of interest, and other elements 
that help or hinder the work of the Sunday school. 

5. Not the least among the features that should 
characterize a well-ordered Workers’ Council should be 
a systematic study of some text in the Training Course, 
Some such unit as this book ought to be studied by 
every officer and teacher and thoroughly discussed be- 
fore the group as a whole. Devoting thirty or forty 
minutes to the systematic study of such a text would in 
the course of twelve months complete the unit and pre- 
pare the entire group for taking an examination for 
credit in the Training Course. No one piece of work 
that can be done at the Council meeting can be more 
profitable than such systematic study. 

6. The Workers’ Council should deal with all prob- 
lems of business that relate to the work of the Sunday 
school. The session of the school is not the proper time 
for a discussion of business matters, and sufficient time 


should be set aside in the program of each Workers’ 
54 





"ITS PLANS AND WORK 





Council meeting to give due consideration to all the 
interests of the Sunday school. 

The above program is planned for a thoroughgoing 
piece of work by persons who are responsible for de- 
veloping an efficient Sunday school. The success or 
failure of the Sunday school will largely depend upon 
the interest and devotion that is given to meetings of 
the workers. A frequent talking over together of com- 
mon problems and ideals will soon develop a spirit of 
fellowship that will make itself felt in both the Sunday 
school and other departments of the Church. It will 
bring to all an enlarged vision of the opportunities that 
lie in the Sunday school. It will create a better under- 
standing of problems common to all. It will in the end 
produce the kind of teamwork that will pull the load 
up the hill from the mire of the old-type Sunday school 
to the higher ground of the progressive Sunday school. 

“‘Let every Sunday school have a Workers’ Council 
with all officers and teachers meeting regularly.” 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. What is the Workers’ Council? 

2. Who are members of the Workers’ Council? 

3. Name some of the things that can be accomplished by a 
Workers’ Council. 

4, Should there be a definite program for the Workers’ Coun- 
cil meeting? Why? 

5. Where and how often should the Workers’ Council meet? 


CHAPTER TY 
THE SUNDAY SESSION 


WHEN, AND How LONG? 


THE program of work for the small Sunday school 
fixes the minimum requirement for the Sunday session 
at one hour. It does not undertake to indicate the 
hour of the session, but does say that not less than sixty 
minutes should be devoted to it. It also points out 
that sufficient amount of time should be given to each 
of the two important factors that enter into the Sunday 
session—that is, not less than fifteen minutes for wor- 
ship and thirty minutes for lesson study. 

When we remember that there are thousands of Sun- 
day schools that close their doors and go into winter 
quarters and that there are tens of thousands of Sunday 
school children who fall away from attendance during 
the midwinter and midsummer periods, we see how 
very important it is for the Sunday school that expects 
to do high-grade work to meet every Sunday for not 
less than one hour. Any Sunday school that will take 
the time and trouble to check up on itself and calculate 
the amount of time that is wasted by late comers, while 
classes are taking their places, by calling the roll, by 
making announcements, by general conversation, and 
other things that do not contribute either to worship 
or instruction will probably see that the average Sun- 
day school pupil in the small school is getting not more 


56 





Nemec eR mL ee 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





than fifteen or twenty minutes of actual instruction 
and very little of actual training in worship. 

1. Time of Meeting. The best time for the Sunday 
session will be determined by local conditions. In some 
sections of the country Sunday schools meet at 10 A.M. 
In other sections the Sunday schools meet just after 
the morning service of the Church. And there are Sun- 
day schools that meet later in the afternoon. Those who 
are responsible should determine upon a time that will 
be convenient to the largest number of people to be 
reached and when a full hour can be devoted to the 
session. It is not necessary that the Sunday school 
period shall come before the morning Church service, 
though this is the most popular hour for Sunday schools 
in the South. 

2. Begin and End on Time. When the time has been 
fixed the session should begin on time, fully sixty minutes 
should be devoted to the work of the Sunday school, 
and it should end on time. If there is to be preaching 
at eleven o’clock, the session of the Sunday school 
should be so planned that its work will be completed 
before the time for the preaching service. The preach- 
ing service should not interfere with the Sunday school, 
neither should the Sunday school interfere with the 
preaching service. A good rule for every Sunday school, 
therefore, would be to begin on time, run on time, and 
close on time. 


WHat SHOULD BE DONE AT THE SUNDAY SESSION 


1. What Should Not Be Done. The Sunday session is 
not the time or the place for a music director or the 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





superintendent to display his ability in singing. The 
Sunday school must not be converted into a singing 
school. Whoever leads the singing should understand 
that he is not leading a concert, but a worship service. 
It is not the place for long talks or for extended an- 
nouncements about strawberry festivals and quilting 
bees. The session may be presided over by the superin- 
tendent or by some other person, but it is not a time for 
personal display. It is not a time for the superintendent 
or the pastor to review the lesson. Teachers have been 
selected to do the teaching of the school; and if they 
have properly done their work, the lesson review before 
the entire school is not needed. If teachers are not 
properly doing their work, the remedy lies in toning up 
the teaching staff. In any event, since different de- 
partments in every Methodist Sunday school are now 
using different Bible passages for lesson study, no re- 
view of the lesson can reach the entire school, and taking 
time to review a lesson that has been studied by only a 
section of the school is bound to prove demoralizing. 
The morning session is not the time or place for drill, 
and only on special occasions should readings and recita- 
tions be allowed. 

2. What Should Be Done. Since we have just indi- 
cated what the Sunday school session is not, let us now 
consider what it is. It has two primary purposes, to 
worship and to give instruction. Other elements will 
enter into the session—such as fellowship, service 
through giving, and an occasional brief announcement— 
but the real business of the Sunday session is to instruct 
and to train in worship. The full meaning of these 


LI LLL LL ES 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





ministries of the Sunday school will be discussed in 
subsequent chapters. 


PREPARING FOR THE SESSION 


1. Churchin Proper Condition. First of all, the build- 
ing should be clean and comfortable. Many Sunday 
schools are driven into winter quarters because no one 
seems responsible for seeing that the church is properly 
heated in advance of the session. During the winter 
months some one should see that fires are built early 
on Sunday morning so that the building will be com- 
fortable when pupils begin to arrive. The church should 
also be swept clean and dusted, the songbooks kept in 
place ready for distribution, the seating properly ar- 
ranged, and everything in readiness. The house of God 
should be made ready for a service of worship and in- 
struction. This does not mean that the superintendent 
should do all this work, but he should feel responsible 
for having things in readiness for those who are to be 
present in the Lord’s house and service. Officers and 
teachers should arrive ten or fifteen minutes before the 
hour set for opening. Most of the trouble from the late 
arrival of pupils is due to the bad example of tardy 
teachers. 

2. A Definite Program. Asuccessful Sunday session 
cannot be conducted with a hit-and-miss program. The 
superintendent should come to the morning service with 
a well-prepared program before him that will enable him 
or some other person to conduct a real service of wor- 
ship, to make the necessary announcements at the 
proper time, and to Ne the period of instruction 

9 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





from needless interruptions. The session that will 
interest the pupils is the session for which preparation 
has been made. 

3. Good Order. No matter how well prepared the 
program may be, the whole school must realize that 
the service is being held on the Lord’s day and in the 
Lord’s house. If other than a church building is used, 
the pupils should be impressed with the fact that for 
that hour the building is dedicated to the service of God. 
If officers and teachers in the Sunday school could come 
to a full realization of this, it would transform the open- 
ing exercises of the Sunday school into a real service 
of worship. The conduct of the officers and teachers 
will have much to do with the spirit of the session. If 
they come to the service in a hilarious, joking, laughing 
frame of mind, the pupils will imitate their conduct. 
The Sunday session is not the time for gossip, for the 
telling of jokes, or for general visitation. This is the 
time for wholesome Christian fellowship, for worship 
and study. During the entire session of the school 
every teacher should be seated with his class and should 
assist in preserving order for the whole school. 

It is not to be understood from what we have just 
said that the Sunday session is to be a sad, solemn oc- 
casion or that the superintendent is to wear a long face. 
Rather it is to be an occasion of gladness and joy. 
Happiness should abound, but the service should be 
dignified and one worthy to be held in the Lord’s house 
and in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Master. 

4. No Need for Closing Exercises. If there is a real 


program of worship conducted at the opening of the 
60 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


school, or if the school has been separated into groups, 
as it should be if at all possible, there will be little neces- 
sity for a closing exercise other than for the reassembling 
of the school for an orderly dismissal. Classes need 
not move from their places if they are in a one-room 
church. The closing should be very brief, wasting no 
time for reports, announcements, or business, but should 
consist of nothing more than a song or a prayer or any 
very brief statement that may be necessary. What- 
ever announcements are to be made should be as brief 
as possible and made between the worship service and 
the time that classes are assembled for instruction. 
Do not require pupils to move any oftener than neces- 
sary. Each movement means a waste of time and a 
diversion of attention. 

To sum up: Let every Sunday school hold a session 
every Sunday in the year, and let a minimum of sixty 
minutes be devoted to the session. Begin on time, 
waste no time, and close on time. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. In your Sunday school how much time is given to worship? 
How much time is actually devoted to teaching? How much time 
is wasted in getting quiet or going to classes or making reports? 

2. Why should the Sunday school run on a definite schedule? 

3. Is it important to begin and close the Sunday school session 
at a definite time? Why? 

4, Why is it well to prepare a written program for the Sun- 
day session? 

5. Name some things that should be done before the school 
opens on Sunday morning. 

6. Does your session open with a quiet and orderly service? 

7. What can be done to improve the opening service? 


CHAPTER VI 
WORSHIP AND TRAINING IN WORSHIP 


DEFINITION OF WORSHIP 


THE instinct of worship is as old as the human race. 
Every religion has its forms and ceremonies through 
which the people pay homage to their deity. In heathen 
religions worship is prompted by a sense of fear, a 
desire to placate the wrath of the gods. True Christian 
worship is prompted by love, reverence, and adoration. 
To the Christian worship is more than merely thinking 
about God or feeling reverent toward him or even seek- 
ing to do his will; it is a personal approach to God. 
Public worship is association, fellowship, and commun- 
ion; a means of developing the sense of gratitude, praise, 
thanksgiving, adoration, respect, love, and sympathy. 
We may bow the head or bend the knee, close the eyes 
and move the lips, and go through every form of worship, 
and yet not be engaged in real worship. The heathen 
does all of these things when he pays homage to his gods 
of wood or stone or brass. God is a spirit and must 
be worshiped in spirit and in truth. Some one has 
defined the functions of a service of public worship to 
be ‘‘to develop a certain feeling or attitude and to 
prepare the people for the teaching message.”’ 


TRAINING IN WORSHIP 


We teach our children how to eat correctly, how to 


read and write, how to speak, and how to sing, but few 
62 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 








of them have been taught anything about the meaning 
and forms of worship. Realizing the importance and 
place of worship in religious development, Sunday 
school leaders everywhere are agreed that a definite 
part of the Sunday morning program should be given 
over to worship and training in worship. The Program 
of Work provides that there shall be ‘‘a regular program 
of worship arranged in advance and conducted in a 
quiet atmosphere. Songbooks approved by the General 
Sunday School Board.’’ The provision indicates some 
of the essentials for such a service. The prearranged 
program, the quiet atmosphere, the right kind of songs 
—these are all important. 

Training in worship should include the learning of 
great hymns, the reading of Scripture, the memorizing 
of prayers, and the correct use of these in the worship 
service. When suitable materials have been selected 
the pupil will learn to worship by using such materials 
in a genuine worship service under the direction of 
devout and reverent leaders. 

1. Separate Rooms. In the chapter on “Organiza- 
tion’’ attention was called to the need of separating 
the Sunday school into groups, such as the Beginner- 
Primary, Junior, Intermediate-Senior, Young People, 
and Adults. This plan is of special value when we 
come to the matter of worship. There are few Churches 
that cannot make at least some provision to care for the 
younger groups separate from the older members of 
the Sunday school who must assemble in the main 
auditorium. A small room might be built to the rear 


of the church or rented in some near-by house, or as 
63 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


a last resort in the summer they might assemble under 
the shade of a tree or in a tent. If the Church is to 
train its young children in worship, using songs that 
they can understand and simple, childlike prayers, it 
will readily be seen that some provision must be made 
for them to have a separate service of worship. 

2. A Program Sutted to the Age Group. The form and 
materials to be used with the little children in a worship 
service must be such as they can understand. The wor- 
ship program must be related to their childish experi- 
ences, and the services must be conducted in the simple 
language that they speak. 

Objection is sometimes raised by adults that they do 
not want to lose the inspiration that comes from the 
children’s singing with the adults; but remember, our 
purpose is to minister to the needs of the child and not 
to amuse or entertain the elders. Every father and 
mother who will stop and think will readily see that 
the child can be taught to sing and to engage in worship 
in his own childish way far better if left with his own 
group. It is the welfare of the child which we must 
always consider and for which we must always plan. 
His religious development is the matter of first im- 
portance. Let us then make provision for the younger 
groups so that they have a worship service that is 
particularly suited to their needs. 

The need for a suitable program also holds in the 
case of the young people and the adults who must wor- 
ship together. The program should be arranged with 
the whole group in mind, and opportunity should be 


given for the younger members of the group to have a 
64 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





definite part in the service. The superintendent may 
or may not be responsible for the worshipservice. In 
many schools there are persons other than the superin- 
tendent who can prepare and conduct an excellent 
worship program. In the Sunday school literature ap- 
pears from time to time an abundance of helpful and 
suggestive material that will assist those who are re- 
sponsible for the preparation of the services of worship. 

3. A Central Theme. The program of worship should 
be built about some central theme, so that there may 
be unity of thought running throughout the Scripture 
reading, the prayers, and the songs. Such themes 
asm Astatitude,’’)"'/Thankseiving,.’’\‘) Praise;’’) ‘Love,’ 
“Patriotism,” “‘Friendship,’’ and the topics suitable 
for special days may be used more than once. Who- 
ever is to lead the service of worship should give the 
matter careful study and should come to the Sunday 
school hour with his program ready. All persons who 
are to assist in the program should be advised before- 
hand as to what they will be expected to contribute to 
the service. 


CONDITIONS OF TRUE WORSHIP 


1. Physical Surroundings. There are many elements 
that enter in a real worship service. One of the first 
steps should be to secure proper physical conditions. 
Some one should be responsible for seeing that the place 
where the service is to be held is comfortable, that there 
is proper ventilation, that the room is properly lighted, 
that the floors are clean and the dust removed from the 


chairs and the piano—in fact, that all physical surround- 
65 


a a a a a a a nr A 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


ings are made as attractive and comfortable as possible. 
It is important that all the hymn books be properly 
distributed, the organ or piano in place and ready for 
use, and, if in the winter, to see that the fire has had 
attention so that it will not be necessary for some one to 
stir it or put on more fuel during the service. 

2. Order. There must be quiet and attention if a 
real service of worship is to be observed. These cannot 
be had by the superintendent pounding upon a bell 
or having the pianist play loud chords in an effort to 
drown out the noise and confusion, as has sometimes 
been done. Before worship is begun all conversation, 
walking about, and other such disturbing elements 
should cease. The best way to maintain quiet and 
reverence is for the superintendent, the officers, and 
the teachers to set a good example. It may require some 
time and patience to get the entire group into the habit 
of becoming quiet at the opening of the worship serv- 
ice; but only when quiet has been secured and every- 
thing is in order and readiness should the service or 
worship begin. Quietness upon the part of the leader 
or soft music will serve as the best means of securing 
order for the beginning of the service. 

3. Reverence. There is no need for a worship service 
to be sorrowful and depressing, but it must be remem- 
bered that it is a service to do homage to God in his 
house and on his holy day. The service may be ever 
so joyous, glad, and happy; but the presence of God 
cannot be felt in a noisy, “‘jazzy’’ type of program. 
Every effort should be made to impress the group 


with the fact that when we sing we are singing to the 
66 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





glory and honor of God; that when we read the Scrip- 
tures we are listening to his voice as he speaks to us 
through his word, and that we should be still and listen 
while God speaks; that in the prayers we are talking 
with God, and that it should be done with becoming 
dignity and humility. The service should express a 
spirit of gratitude to God for the favors that he has 
shown and should help us to realize that God is really 
approached by us in the service. There should be no 
telling of flippant stories. From the beginning to end, 
nothing should be allowed that would tend to destroy 
the real atmosphere of worship. 


MATERIALS TO BE USED IN WORSHIP 


The worship service is made up of many elements: 
music, instrumental or vocal; the reading of Scriptures; 
prayers, individual and in concert; stories that illus- 
trate a good moral or teach a lesson. Sometimes there 
will be a talk upon the theme of the service, and giving 
should by all means be made a part of worship. 

1. Music in Worship. Why do we use music in the 
worship service? Is it merely to put “‘pep”’ into the 
program? Do we sing the first hymn for the purpose of 
getting the crowd quiet? Do we start the singing to 
bring the outsiders inside? Do we sing several songs 
for the purpose of giving the late comers a chance to 
get into the room so that the superintendent may safely 
say, ‘‘The teachers will now take charge of their 
classes’? Do we sing just because it is a custom? Do 
we sing to introduce variety in the program? What is 
the real purpose that we have in using music? 


67 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Music of some sort is used in most every service of 
worship, and the kind of music that is used will largely 
determine the spirit of the service. In all ages and with 
all races music has been connected with the worship 
of deity. It is the truest expression of the religious ideal 
of a people. The music used in a Sunday school should 
be such as to inspire and give expression to the spirit of 
worship. Can God be pleased with an effort to worship 
him in “‘ragtime’’? True worship is marked by a 
spirit of gratitude, humility, and love, and it is rendered 
in the spirit of gladness and joy. If music is to produce 
a real spirit of worship, it must express such feelings, it 
must help to develop such attitudes. Both the words 
and the tune must have a tendency to draw the mind 
and soul of the individual up and out toward God. 

Hymns have long been used in worship. The Psalms 
constituted the Jewish hymn book. The leaders of the 
Protestant Reformation read and sung great hymns. 
Charles Wesley wrote more than six thousand hymns, 
and these hymns have meant more to the spiritual life 
and unity of the Church than any collection of sermons 
or treatise on theology that was ever written. The 
hymns and tunes must produce a worshipful attitude 
or aspiration. 

Can we afford to use anything else but the very best 
in the worship of God? In the neglect of the great old 
hymns of Christianity the Church is suffering a great 
loss. A spiritual blight is falling upon the life of the 
childhood and youth of to-day through the cheap, 
tawdry, popular songs that are being ‘“‘jazzed”’ in 
thousands of Sunday schools and many Church services. 

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ITS PLANS AND WORK 


The passion for buying music just because it is cheap 
or easy to learn has flooded our Churches with an abun- 
dance of trashy songs. Most of the cheap songbooks are 
published for “revenue only,” to enrich the purses of the 
music publisher and the book dealer, and are sold 
regardless of the effect they may have upon the religious 
development of childhood and youth. The Church 
owes it to its children to protect them from ‘‘trashy 
songs.’”’ The great hymns of Christendom, that have 
led men to God and that have refined and beautified 
religious experience, were not written at so much per 
copy, but are the expression of the deep experiences and 
lofty faith and spiritual longings of their authors. 
Shame upon the Church or Sunday school that debases 
the worship service by the use of trashy music! No 
matter what the sentiment or language, lofty emotions 
are not produced by any combination of words or senti- 
ments set to such tunes as “I Wish I Was Single Again.” 
There is a universal complaint that congregational sing-- 
ing is dying out. The reason for this tendency is that 
we have not been training our people to sing the great 
hymns of the ages. 

For the childrenin the Beginner-Primary group there 
should be specially selected songs that will meet their 
needs and are written in language they understand and 
set to music they can sing. Collections of such songs are 
found in ‘‘Songs for the Little Children,” ‘‘Songs for 
Little People,” ‘‘ Melodies,’ and ‘‘Carols.”” For the 
Junior children there are many great hymns that are 
meaningful and suitable for use in the worship serv- 


ices. What loftier sentiments or nobler aspira- 
69 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


tions than those to be found in such great hymns as 
‘“‘All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “Nearer, My 
God, to Thee,’ ‘‘The Son of God Goes Forth to War,” 
‘‘Lead On, O King Eternal,” “Worship the King,”’ 
“Joy to the World,” ‘‘Come, Thou Almighty King,” 
“Onward, Christian Soldiers,’’ ‘‘O Beautiful for Spacious 
Skies.’’? There are hundreds of such hymns that ought 
to be used in every Sunday school. Such hymns build 
character, strengthen faith, and draw the mind and heart 
toward God. 

2. Scripiures. All those in the Sunday school who 
can read should be encouraged to bring their Bibles so 
that the Scripture lesson that is used for the worship 
service may frequently be read from the Bible itself. 
We must never let the lesson literature supplant the 
use of the Bible, else our children will be taught to search 
the Scriptures, not by books and chapters, but by the 
dates on the calendar. The lesson selected for the wor- 
ship service should not only be appropriate as to oc- 
casion and season, but also be one that has rhythm and so 
lends itself to reading responsively. The Psalms are well 
adapted to this kind of use. The Scriptures need not 
always be read responsively. It may be read in con- 
cert, by an individual who reads well, or alternately by 
various groups. But, in whatever way the Scripture is 
read, let the spirit be devout. When we open our Bible 
and read from it, we are listening to a message from God. 
We should read or listen to it with reverence. 

3. Prayers. True prayer is communion with God. 
God does not hear us for our much speaking. Public 


prayer should not be uttered in a strained voice as 
70 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


ee 


though God were so far away we have to shout at him, 
On the other hand, the prayers should not be mumbled 
or spoken so indistinctly that no onecan hear. Public 
prayer should as far as possible utter the emotions and 
needs of all those present. The leader of such prayer 
should have the whole group in mind and should ask 
for the things that will meet the needs of that particular 
group. The person who knows in advance that he is to 
lead a group in public prayer should think carefully 
and well before he begins to pray in order that he may 
really lead his hearers in prayer. 

4. Stortes and Talks. Many times stories can be 
told in connection with the worship service that will 
illustrate the main thought that is followed both in 
the Scripture reading and the hymns. Ifa story is told, 
let it be brief and to the point and in harmony with the 
theme of the worship service. In a service of fifteen 
minutes there is little time for either stories or talks. 
Tf a talk is to be made upon any subject, it should con- 
tribute to the creation of a worshipful atmosphere. 
The worship period is not a proper time for a display of 
gifts of oratory. 

The worship program should be so arranged that it 
may be carried forward without confusion; and if there 
is a story or talk, it should be so placed in the program 
that it will not eclipse the other valuable elements in 
the service. The good effect of many an opening service 
in the Sunday school has been killed by the superin- 
tendent’s remarks or comments. In other words, many 
a worship service has been literally talked to death. 

5. Giving. Giving should be made a part of the wor- 

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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


ship service. Very beautiful and impressive services 
may be held in connection with the birthdays of the 
pupils or on Missionary Sunday. To give money for 
the advancement of the kingdom of God is as truly 
an act of worship as to sing or pray. A brief prayer con- 
secrating the money that has been given to any cause 
will help to develop the spirit of consecration in the 
lives of the pupils. 

6. Helps. There are many little books published 
that contain suggestive worship programs for the 
various age groups in the Sunday school. Some of our 
Sunday school literature contains helpful suggestions 
from month to month which can be used by the superin- 
tendent or the leader of worship in improving this serv- 
ice. Let us remember that whatever we may be able to 
teach about God and about worship, the most valuable 
service we can make to the growing pupil is to lead him 
to realize the constant presence and fellowship of God. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. What is the difference between an opening exercise and a 
worship service? 

2. What are some of the elements that enter into a worship 
service? 

3. Why is a quiet, reverent atmosphere needed for true wor- 
ship? 

4, Is it necessary to prepare a program of worship? Why? 

5. Where the whole school meets together, is it possible to 
meet the need of all ages at once? Why? 

6. Give some reasons why good hymns and good music should 
be used by the Sunday school? 


CHAPTER VII 
WHAT TO TEACH—LESSON COURSES 


EVERY Sunday school should use the lessons prepared 
under the direction of the Sunday School Board of its 
own denomination or such lessons as are approved by 
that Board. The reason for this suggestion is a perfectly 
good one. If denominational existence is at all jus- 
tifable, then the denomination is responsible for the 
kind of lessons that are to be studied by its Sunday 
school pupils. The denominational editor has been 
selected because of his knowledge of the needs of the 
pupils in the Sunday schools of that denomination. 
In the selection of the lesson material he tries to meet 
these needs. 

Another good reason is that if our boys and girls are 
to become loyal members of the Church, pastors, super- 
intendents, and teachers should set the example for 
them by loyalty to their own Church and its constituted 
authorities. This does not mean that the literature 
published under the direction of our Sunday School 
Editor and issued by our Publishing House is in any 
sense partisan or sectarian, but it does mean that the 
lesson topics that have been selected by the Interna- 
tional Lesson Committee are given a treatment and 
interpretation in harmony with the ideals of Methodism. 
It is the duty of the editor to see that no objectionable 
teaching is published in the lessons. 

The teacher in the average Sunday school accepts the 
literature that is given to him from month to month 

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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


by the superintendent or secretary and never raises a 
question as to whether this literature has been provided 
by the Sunday School Editor or whether it is particu- 
larly adapted to the needs of the pupils or whether it 
is the best that can be had. He expects those in authori- 
ty to make such decisions for him. He takes it for 
granted that those who are primarily responsible for 
the purchase of the literature have gotten the best there 
is. Sometimes superintendents of an economical turn 
of mind will purchase literature simply because of its 
cheapness, but this is not fair to the pupils. Quality and 
not cost should be our guide in choosing lesson ma- 
terials that are to be used in forming the moral char- 
acters and religious faith and ideals of our pupils. 
Just as we select the choicest food for our children’s 
bodies, so should we select the choicest of spiritual food 
with which their religious life is to be nurtured. 

Sometimes a Sunday school teacher complains that 
the lessons which have been provided for her class are 
too hard for them to understand, are such that no 
interest can be created, and in language too difficult 
for pupils. Whenever such a condition is found, it is 
very evident that the literature is sot suited to the 
needs of that group of pupils. 

Sunday school literature should also be of attractive 
appearance. Cheap literature will naturally give to 
the pupil the idea that religion is a cheap affair. 


SoME ELEMENTS OF Goop LESSONS 
1. They Must Be Suited to the Child. The pupil is 
central in our program, not the Bible nor the Church. 
74 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


These both exist for the sake of the pupil. We must 
not try to twist the child to suit the Scripture or other 
lesson material, but should select the Scripture to suit 
the needs of the child. When a child first starts to day 
school, the teacher does not place him in the sixth or 
eigth grade, no matter how bright he may be or how 
large his body, but he is placed in a class where the 
lessons are in keeping with his mental development, 
where the words and figures are such as he can under- 
stand. This same principle holds true in teaching re- 
ligion. ‘The pupil must be started with simple, plain 
truths that can be understood by him and related to his 
everyday experience and meet his present needs. 

2. Musi Be Based on Present Knowledge. ‘The first 
lessons must be based on what the child already knows. 
It is a well-established law of learning that we acquire 
something new only when we can tie it onto something 
already known. Jesus illustrated this principle in all 
his teachings. Every time he taught or preached 
he used the most commonplace illustrations, such as 
leaven, ground, seed, sowing, and reaping. These were 
things that every one knew about. Jesus therefore 
started with this common knowledge of the people 
and talked to them in language that they understood. 
He was thus able to lead them from what they knew to 
the great new truths that he came to teach. Sunday 
school lessons that bring to the little child things with 
which he is not familiar and that he cannot understand 
teach him nothing. This accounts for the fact that so 
many children spend many years in Sunday school and 
acquire very little religious knowledge. 

75 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





3. Must Be Interesting. ‘The best lessons will be 
selected not only with the need of the pupil in mind 
and suited to his knowledge and told in language with 
which he is familiar, but they must also be of interest 
to him. A great teacher once said: “It is only where we 
touch the interest of life that we can be said to teach at 
all.”’ Religious truth, like other truth, becomes a part 
of us only when it attracts our interest. The best Sun- 
day school lessons should be so selected that they will 
be interesting to the pupil at each age of his develop- 
ment. To illustrate: A very young child will be inter- 
ested in stories of other babies, and we speak of the 
baby Moses, the baby Jesus; but when he is a little older 
he thinks in terms of boys. Then we speak of the boy 
Samuel, the gzrl Ruth, the boy Jesus. There is a com- 
mon point of sympathy. The child is interested in 
others of his own age, and so he becomes interested in 
these great characters. It is a mistaken notion that 
by compelling boys and girls to memorize long, hard 
passages of Scripture we make them grow religious. 
We might as well feed beefsteak and pickles to a baby 
with the idea that some day when he is older he will 
need them. What we have said about interest simply 
means that a child, like a grown person, will do his best 
work when he is interested. 

4. Must Provide for Growth. Lessons must be se- 
lected not only to suit the needs of the pupil at a par- 
ticular period, but must be so arranged as to keep up 
with his growth. One of the serious defects of any uni- 
form series of lessons lies in the fact that they cannot 
take into account the piers of growth. A certain 

6 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





passage of Scripture is chosen, and all the pupils of all 
ages must study that same passage. In the beginning 
the vocabulary of the pupils is limited; but as his ex- 
perience widens and he grows older his vocabulary 
will increase, and the lessons must be selected so that 
they will meet this changing condition. They must tie 
onto what the pupil had yesterday and look forward to 
what he will have to-morrow. 

Lessons now used in many of our Sunday schools do 
not take into account the capacity or needs or the 
experience of the individual pupils. They are usually 
selected with the adult in mind; and if an effort is made 
to adapt them to children, the meaning of the lesson is 
often changed or lost. An illustration of this is found in 
a lesson that recently appeared for pupils of all ages. 
It was taken from the First Book of Kings, second chap- 
ter, and beginning with the tenth verse. Let the readers 
of this book turn to their Bibles and read the remainder 
of this chapter, then ask the question, Would it be 
possible for a six-year-old child to get any religious 
benefit from the study of this lesson? It would be just 
as reasonable to take the six-year-o'd child in the day 
school and ask him to solve a problem in algebra or 
geometry. The best lesson for a six-year-old child will 
start with him where he is, use the story form of teach- 
ing, and present only such portions of the Scripture and 
other material as will be suited to his mind at that age. 


SOURCES OF LESSON MATERIAL 


Most of the lesson materials for our Sunday schools 


are taken from the Bible. This is the great source 
77 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





book for religious teaching. It gives us the record of 
God’s dealing with his peculiar people and tells us the 
story of the difficulties of these people in their search 
for God. In the New Testament we have a record of 
the coming of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, 
the story of his life, teaching, and ministry, and of the 
beginning of the early Church. The Bible is and al- 
ways will remain the book of books for Christian study. 
It must be remembered, however, that it was written 
centuries and centuries ago in an Eastern land and 
that in order to make it understandable for us in the 
Western world it must be interpreted in terms of our 
life and experience. We should add to the Biblical 
material studies about the beautiful world in which we 
live and take illustrations from nature so that our 
children may come to see that God is at work in his 
world to-day. We can well add to our material as the 
pupils grow older studies of the lives of great Christian 
leaders such as Luther, Wesley, Carey, Morrison, and 
Lambuth. Such studies will furnish an inspiration 
and assist in the building of character just as truly as 
studies of the lives of Abraham and Moses. They have 
been messengers of God, men through whom God has 
spoken to the modern world. The great hymns of 
Christendom and beaut ful pictures that have been in- 
spired by lofty, Christian ideals may well be added to 
the material that is to be used for teaching religion to 
childhood and youth. If in early life we can lead the 
pupil to see God in his wonderful gifts and wonderful 
works and later to see him as he lives in the lives of 


great men and good women who have heard his voice 
78 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


and known him, we shall have little danger of seeing 
this pupil enshrouded in the mists of doubt in later 
years. 

Various Kinps orf LESSONS 


Sunday school lessons that have been planned and 
prepared with the various age groups in mind are called 
“graded lessons.’” These are of two types. One kind 
are called ‘‘closely graded lessons.’’ These are prepared 
for larger Sunday schools which have enough pupils 
to form one or more classes for each year of life up to 
adulthood. 

For Sunday schools of not more than 150 members 
provision has been made in the “‘group uniform lessons.” 
For example, children four and five years old are called 
Beginners, and for this entire group in both large and 
small schools a two-year cycle of lessons has been 
planned which in schools of only one class of Beginners 
are to be used in rotation, one course for this year and 
the other for next year and then repeat, since every 
Beginner child will pass out of this department at the 
end of two years from the time he enters, it being as- 
sumed that children under four will be on the Cradle 
Roll, and if they are brought to Sunday school at all 
will belong to a separate Cradle Roll class. But from 
the time pupils leave the Beginners’ Department the 
“‘sroup uniform lessons’’ are quite distinct from the 
closely graded lessons. 

The Primary Department consists of children six, 
seven, and eight years old, and the lessons for this de- 
partment are arranged in three-year cycles, so that a 
pupil passing through ne department will not have 

9 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





the same lesson twice unless there should be some error 
on the part of those ordering the literature. 

The same provision is made for pupils in the Junior 
Department (ages 9, 10, 11, and possibly 12), and it is 
hoped that we shall soon have similar group lessons for 
the Intermediates and Seniors. At present in the small 
school these are all shut up to a uniform lesson or the 
closely graded lessons, but the treatment in the uni- 
form lesson is adapted as far as possible to the different 
age groups to be served. Group lessons have been pre- 
pared especially for those schools that for any reason 
cannot use the closely graded lessons. The latter are 
to be preferred even in small schools where conditions 
are such that it is possible to make proper use of them. 

With the group lessons the Beginners in a Sunday 
school will be studying one lesson, the Primaries an- 
other, the Juniors another, and so on through all the 
departments, thus recognizing all the principles that 
are involved in graded lesson material as far as it can 
be provided with a small group. The Sunday school 
that loves its children and wishes to see them nourished 
as Jesus intended that they should be nourished will 
no longer insist upon the same lesson for all members of 
the school, but will see to it that lessons suited to the 
needs of the various ages are selected. 

The needs of the older groups in the Sunday school 
have not been overlooked, and elective courses have 
been prepared so that the young people in adult classes 
desiring to make special studies are permitted to do so. 
These elective courses will sometimes consist of an in- 


tensive study of a particular book of the Bible, the 
80 








ITS PLANS AND WORK 





social teachings of Jesus, the meaning of Christian 
service, or some similar topics. Information concern- 
ing elective courses can be had by communicating with 
the Young People’s or Adult Department of our Gen- 
eral Sunday School Board. 


OTHER READING MATTER 


We are living in a reading age. Newspapers, maga- 
zines, and periodicals of all descriptions are circulating 
in the homes of our people at the rate of millions of 
copies every week. Very little of this reading matter is 
of religious value. Newspapers are filled week after 
week with stories of crime, infidelity in marriage, and 
all forms of lawbreaking. Our young people are having 
their minds stored with all sorts of trash from the daily 
press. It should be the business of the Church and of 
the Christian home to see to it that every child and 
youth is provided with clean, wholesome, interesting, 
religious literature. The Sunday School Board of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, realizes the im- 
portance of this kind of literature in the hands of its 
constituency and is undertaking to meet the desires 
of Sunday school pupils for good reading matter with 
a series of publications suited to the various ages. For 
children under ten years of age, there is an interesting 
little paper entitled Boys and Girls. The stories and 
illustrations are of a character to meet the religious 
needs of boys and girls of tender years. For the boys 
from ten to seventeen years of age, there is published a 
real boys’ paper, called The Haversack, and for girls of 


the same age a paper that carries the title The Torch- 
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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


bearer. These two papers are prepared upon the plane 
of natural interests of early youth. For the young peo- 
ple there is published each week a paper, entitled Our 
Young People, which is filled with reading matter of 
special interest and value to them. The Sunday school 
can make no better investment than to see to it that 
every pupil in the school is provided each week with a 
copy of one of these periodicals. They may be as im- 
portant in the life of the pupil as the regular Sunday 
school lessons. These papers are issued weekly and 
should be ordered with the regular Sunday school 
supplies. 

In addition to the above, every Methodist home 
should be provided with a copy of the Conference organ 
and the Nashville Christian Advocate. Through these 
periodicals the children will come to know something 
of the program of the great Church to which they be- 
long. They will in time become familiar with the names 
of the great leaders of the Church and know something 
of how the work of the Church is done. Any home that 
can afford to subscribe for a weekly newspaper cannot 
afford to be without the Church papers. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Why is it necessary to grade the lesson material? 

2. Give some of the elements of a good lesson. 

3. Why should the lessons make provision for progress? 

4, From what source do we get the most of our lessons in the 
Sunday school? Why? 

5. When nature stories are used why are they so interesting 
to little children? 

82 


CHAPTER VIII 
THROUGH THE WEEK 


WE LEARN BY DOING 


RELIGION is not something that concerns us on Sun- 
day alone, and the teaching of religion requires much 
more time than the thirty minutes that is usually given 
on Sunday morning. ‘Teaching religion is something 
more than giving instruction. The accumulation of 
Biblical facts and figures and the memorizing of pas- 
sages of Scripture are only a part of religious training. 
It used to be thought that teaching was confined to 
instruction alone, but we have come to know that in- 
struction is only a part of the teaching process. We 
learn by doing. James, one of the New Testament 
writers, appreciated the importance of this truth and 
gave some very sound advice to the early Christians in 
the following words: ‘‘But be ye doers of the word and 
not hearers only, deluding your own selves. For if any 
one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like 
unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror; for he 
beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway 
forgetteth what manner of man he was.’ (James 1: 
22-24.) A child might learn ever so many passages of 
Scripture; but if all he did was to learn them, it would 
be like looking at himself in a mirror, the impression 
would not last much longer. If the truths that we teach 
on Sunday are to become of permanent value to the 


pupil, we must assist him to live these truths. We not 
83 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


only learn that we may do, but in doing we learn. The 
story of the Good Samaritan is one that probably is 
taught to every Sunday school pupil in America. The 
reason so many fail to become Good Samaritans them- 
selves is because we have not helped them to carry the 
truth over into their daily living. It is not what the 
pupil knows that is of greatest importance, but what 
he does and what he is. The purpose of imparting 
knowledge is to help the pupil to do and to be. Teach- 
ing is not to be made an end in itself but a means to an 
end, and the end that we seek is right living. 


RELIGION Is LIFE 


Religious teachings must be related to life, not on 
Sunday morning alone at the Sunday school hour, but 
all through the week and in all the duties and relations 
of everyday life. The life of a child is in his play. His 
relationships are his toys, his pets, his games, and the 
members of the household. His early life is largely 
spent in the home or in his immediate community. If 
we are to teach religion to this child, it must be of such 
a nature and in such a way that it can be related to his 
life in the home, to his pets, his playmates, and the 
games he plays. Religious truths should teach him to 
play right, to treat his pets and playmates as they 
should be treated. The child can only learn when we 
teach him something that is related to his present ex- 
periences. If we would have him to grow up to be 
kind and generous, we must help him to learn to be 
kind and generous to his pets and his playmates. This 


means that the Sunday school officer and teacher must 
84 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





devote a part of his work to helping his pupils to be- 
come doers of the word. 


A THROUGH-THE-WEEK PROGRAM 


In the light of what has just been said, it is very 
evident that the Sunday school officer and teacher who 
would measure up to the opportunity that is offered 
in this field of Christian service must plan for some sort 
of contact with their pupils through the week. We 
mean by this that there should be expressional activi- 
ties through which the pupils may be helped to carry 
the Sunday teaching into their everyday life. Some of 
the week-day activities will involve the whole school, 
but the responsibility for the larger part of it will fall 
upon the teacher who has the most intimate contact 
with the members of the class. The teacher should 
have an intimate knowledge of the things that are of 
interest to his pupils, the games they play, and the 
forms of social life in which they engage. In the open 
country where the membership of the school extends 
over much territory the week-day work will of necessity 
be different from what it is in the small town; and yet 
with the rural telephone, with the improved road con- 
ditions, and with the automobile there is no reason why 
the teacher in the most sparsely settled section of the 
country cannot maintain some sort of contact with the 
pupils through the week. It is during the week that 
the officer and teacher will be able to help pupils to 
learn and to live the religious life. The week-day in- 
terests of the pupil will include all sorts of outdoor 


games, hikes or hunts, nature studies, picnics, and 
85 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





parties. The age and inclination and living conditions 
of the pupils will largely determine the week-day activ- 
ities. 

1. Play and Recreation. ‘The teacher who really 
teaches must have an interest in the things which in- 
terest the pupil. As soon as the pupils come to feel that 
the teacher is interested in their lives they become in- 
terested in the teacher and a bond of sympathy and 
mutual understanding is established. In making this 
contact through a common interest the teacher does 
his best teaching. One of the surest ways of securing 
attention to the Sunday lesson is to give attention to 
the pupil when engaged in play. 

A teacher of a group of junior boys discovered that 
her boys were interested in marbles—most boys are. 
She discovered further that they were playing marbles 
for ‘‘keeps’’ and that in the excitement of the game 
they were coming to use some very bad language. She 
began to talk with the boys about the game of marbles, 
asked many questions as to the rules of the game and 
how it was played, finally requesting that they should 
teach her how to play. A vacant lot near her home was 
cleared off, and on it was prepared an excellent place for » 
playing marbles. By frequent visits to this marble 
ground, and by showing an interest in thegameand in the 
improvement of the boys in their playing she was able 
by her presence and influence both to break the habit 
of playing for “‘keeps’’ and the use of bad language. 
A year of Sunday teaching on the subject of playing 
marbles for keeps and the use of bad language would 


not have been half so valuable as the week-day visits to 
86 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





the marble ground. Who will say that her teaching on 
the marble ground was not true religious teaching? 

2. Games, Hikes, and Hunis. A Sunday school 
teacher who made a large contribution to the religious 
life of a group of growing boys was a man without very 
great intelligence and with only ordinary education. 
The members of his class remembered little that he 
taught them on Sunday morning, but once during each 
month while he was teacher of that class he gathered 
his boys about him for some intimate contact. It was, 
perchance, a party in his home, a hike in the woods, a 
trip to the old swimming hole, a fishing party, and once 
a year a camping trip; just teacher and boys, two weeks 
in the woods, hunting, fishing, forming friendships and 
contacts that have lasted for a lifetime. After twenty- 
five years the members of that class never come to- 
gether without commenting upon the influence of that 
Sunday school teacher. He was interested in the things 
that interested his boys. Every member of that class 
became interested in the things that are eternal largely 
because their teacher was interested in these higher 
things of life. 

A city-raised young man just out of college secured 
a position as teacher in a country school far removed 
from a railroad. On his first Sunday at the country 
church he was asked to take a class of boys ranging from 
twelve to sixteen years of age with the interesting in- 
formation that all their teachers up to that time had 
been run away from the Sunday school. After three 
unsuccessful attempts to hold their attention to the 


Sunday school lesson, this wise teacher changed his 
87 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





plans and began to find out where the boys’ interests 
lay. He found they were interested in hunting coons. 
At the close of the class period a coon hunt was ar- 
ranged, in which the teacher was to be introduced to 
the delights of hunting coons in a creek bottom. The 
hunt itself was a trying experience to the teacher. He 
found himself the butt of many pranks and jokes, 
but from that time on he was firmly established in the 
confidence of the boys, was taken into their fellowship, 
and the class was transformed into one of the most in- 
terested groups in the entire school. A miracle had been 
wrought by forming a contact at the point of interest 
with the boys. 

3. Social Life. The social instinct isa God-implanted 
one. The desire for association between older girls and 
boys is an indication of coming manhood and woman- 
hood. Here, as at no other place in its program, the 
Church can render a real service in character building. 
There is no better qualification for a teacher of adoles- 
cent girls than to be a real friend and companion, and 
for boys a pal, a chum, a confidant. One of the reasons 
why the country and small-town dance has captured so 
many hundreds of our young people and has involved 
the homes of many of the best families of the Church 
is because the Church and Church people have not been 
interested in the social life of the young people and have 
made no effort to provide clean, wholesome social life 
under proper supervision. The pastor, superintendent, 
or the teacher can render no better service to the grow- 
ing life of the community than to devote part of each 
week to a supervision of the social life of the young. 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





Our program has mostly been made up of ‘‘don’ts.”’ 
We scarcely ever say to our young people: “‘Come, let us 
do together something worth while.’’ Most boys and 
girls do not go wrong because they are vicious. They 
fall by the way because there has not been intelligent 
interest in their social life on the part of their elders. 
Parties and socials at the church, in the home, and, in 
pleasant weather, picnics and partiesin the open furnish 
a splendid opportunity for character building. 

Frequently a teacher is so situated that family or 
business duties prevent him from giving the time and 
attention to the week-day work that is necessary, and 
here is a fine opportunity for some one who may not be 
qualified as a teacher to assist in looking after the recrea- 
tional and social life of the members of the class. Inthe 
social life, as in the classification, we need to observe the 
principle of grading. Things that are of interest to 
juniors are a bore to seniors. Games that will interest 
an intermediate would not interest young people. Let 
every Sunday school make some provision for the social 
life of its pupils. 

4, Social Service. ‘‘Be ye doers of the word”’ carries 
also a responsibility for social service. Every communi- 
ty has a few saintly men and women who visit the sick 
and look after the poor and the needy. Such a service, 
however, should not be left to a few old people alone. 
Youth responds to the challenge to serve, and one of the 
reasons why our communities have so few people who 
are ready to minister to the needs of the unfortunate is 
because we have never given our young people a chance 


to learn how to serve. Helping in homes where there is 
89 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


sickness, doing chores and running errands, looking 
after the poor and the unfortunate are some of the 
happy opportunities for service that are to be found in 
every community. In fact, there is no community in 
America that does not need Good Samaritans. 

Our young people should not always be entertained 
and amused. They should be constantly reminded of 
the needs of others, and in ministering to such needs 
in their own community they are developing within 
them the missionary spirit that will cause them to see 
the whole world as a field for Christian service. There 
are many movements for the betterment of community 
life in which the Sunday school and its members may 
take an important part, such as the entering of Sunday 
school classes in club contests under the supervision of 
county farm demonstrators, taking part in all new move- 
ments for the improvement of roads, schoolhouses, and 
other public institutions, and the like. Where such 
work is needed classes should be enlisted in making 
improvements on the church property and the par- 
sonage. 

Men who have moved away from the open country 
and the small town have frequently testified that the 
reason for their leaving was that there was ‘‘nothing 
doing.’’ Life was dull and drab. Older people were 
not interested in the life and enthusiasms of youth. 
The fact remains, however, that the small town and 
the rural section offer a multitude of opportunities for 
character building that cannot be had in the congested 
centers of the cities. 

Let the small Church get away from the idea that 

90 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


its function is confined to one meeting on Sunday and 
the revival in the summer time and that its task is to 
serve as a springboard for people to jump into heaven 
or a fire insurance policy to keep them out of torment. 
Let it catch a vision of the fact that it is preparing the 
leadership for business and politics, for professional life 
and the ministry, that is to do the constructive work 
of the world. Let it remember that the injunction of 
James was that we might become ‘‘doers of the word, 
not hearers only.” } 
SUPERVISION 


Whatever the nature of the week-day activity, 
whether it be games, social life, or service, the most im- 
portant feature is that there shall be proper super- 
vision. Here it is that the pastor, superintendent, 
teacher, or some other suitable person is to render most 
excellent service. Whoever shall undertake to super- 
vise the play, recreation, or social life of the pupils 
must have an appreciation of childhood and youth, 
must be able to look through their eyes to see things 
from their viewpoint, to sympathize with their mis- 
takes and errors. It is not that we are to condone in 
young people the doing of things that are vicious and 
excuse it on the ground that youth must sow its wild 
oats, but that we are to take into account the fact that 
they are young and have not reached the viewpoint of 
adults. The supervisor should have something very 
attractive to offer in place of social pleasures that are 
dangerous. A program that is made up of “don'ts” 
and ‘“‘can’ts”’ will never get very far in helping child- 


hood and youth to do what they should. The super- 
91 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





visor is not to be a censor, a critic, or a grouch, but a 
sympathetic, helpful friend. 

Every crowd or gang will have its own leader. The 
traits of leadership appear very early in adolescence. 
The skillful superintendent or teacher will cultivate the 
friendship and confidence of the group leader and 
utilize this natural leader in accomplishing the desired 
ends. Youth will not be driven, but is easily lead. If 
the supervisor shall gain the confidence of the leader 
of a group, anything within the bounds of reason can 
be done with the whole group. There is scarcely a 
community in America, no matter how widely scattered 
the people may be, where there is not some way for 
ministering to the play, recreation, social, and service 
life of the Sunday school pupils and for helping them to 
become ‘‘doers of the word and not hearers only.” 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Does religion have any relation to the everyday life of the 
pupil? 

2. Look up what James said about the man who was a hearer 
and not a doer of the Word. 

3. What is the relation between learning and doing? 

4, Name some week-day activities of the pupil in which the 
Sunday school should be interested. 

5. Why is it important that the Church should look after 
the week-day activities of its pupils? 

6. What are some forms of Christian service that can be ren- 
dered by the pupils of your Sunday school? 

7, What importance did Jesus attach to service as he gave us 
the story of the Good Samaritan or painted the picture of the 
last judgment? ‘ 

92 


CHAPTER IX 
SPECIAL DAYS 


THE many Christian festivals and the many different 
seasons of the year offer a splendid opportunity for 
varying the session of the Sunday school by the ob- 
servance of special days. For many of these days splen- 
did suggestive programs have been arranged, but great 
care should be taken by the Workers’ Council to see 
that the special days are not so emphasized as to be- 
come commonplace. Too many special days will in- 
jure the work of the Sunday school more than not to 
observe any of them. The purpose of a special day is 
to give recognition to certain outstanding interests in 
the life of the community or Church. In this chapter 
we are suggesting a good many days which may be used 
for such a purpose, some of them suitable for the whole 
school, others to be observed only in part, but not all 
of them to be observed in any one year. In an earlier 
chapter we urged that the young children should if 
possible have rooms provided for their own use through- 
out the entire session of the school. Some of the special 
days, however, will furnish an opportunity for bring- 
ing all the groups of the Sunday school together. A 
special-day program that is to include all the school 
should be so arranged that each department may have 
some part in it, and should be of such a nature that it 
can be understood and appreciated by all. A program 
for Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, ora patrioticday 

93 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


will easily lend itself to such an arrangement. Other 
special-day programs will need to be carefully guarded 
and used only for the older members of the school. 
On certain occasions, such as Sunday School Day, 
Rally Day, and Training Day, it will be well, where 
practical, to use the eleven o’clock hour if the pastor 
is willing. We are naming a large number of special 
days so that the superintendent and Workers’ Council 
may have a variety from which to select. Not more 
than six special days should be observed in one year 
where the whole school is to be brought together. 


Proper USE oF SPECIAL DAYS 


A special day program should not be allowed to dis- 
turb the teaching period. It should take the place of 
the regular worship program for that particular day. 
It should not be boisterous or of such a nature as to 
conflict with the spirit of a worship service. If special 
features are to be introduced, they should be prepared 
beforehand and made to harmonize with the entire 
spirit of the occasion. 


SoME SPECIAL Days TO OBSERVE 


Missionary Day. Every Methodist Sunday school 
should observe Missionary Day once each month with 
a suitable program and a missionary offering. The 
purpose of such a program is to create missionary in- 
terest in every pupil in the school. The program should 
include interesting stories and incidents in the lives of 
missionaries, studies in the geography and history of 


the countries where the Church has missions, and letters 
94. 


ES ENE ELLE EN bile RSS AS GT A DY LER EO i OO 
ITS PLANS AND WORK 





from those countries giving the progress of the work. 
This program may take the place of the regular worship 
service where a missionary theme is selected, or it may 
take the form of a report from the mission field or a 
story of some missionary adventure. 

In order that the missionary interest may become a 
part of the life of the pupil, a missionary offering 
should be taken for some definite missionary ob- 
ject. Missionary and Sunday School Boards pro- 
vide “‘Specials” that range from a few dollars up 
to any amount that a Sunday school may be able to 
carry. By all means, the Sunday school, after a careful 
study of its own resources and of its own interest, 
should undertake to carry some missionary special and 
use this special as the means of definite missionary 
education. It will be well for every Sunday school to 
communicate with the Superintendent of Missionary 
Education and secure suggestions and programs that 
will be suitable for the observance of Missionary Day 
and a list of mission specials from which the school may 
select its own special to be supported by the offering 
on Missionary Sunday. 

Patriotic Days. Quite frequently Sunday will fall 
upon some patriotic day, such as the Fourth of Jity, 
Memorial Day, or Armistice Day. These eccasions lend 
themselves very nicely to emphasizing the importance 
of Christian citizenship. Programs may also be profit- 
ably built around the birthday of great national charac- 
ters where the meaning and significance of Christian 
citizenship may be emphasized. 


Decision Day. Decision Day is one of the most im- 
95 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


portant of all the days in the Sunday school calendar. 
There is not space in this little text to thoroughly dis- 
cuss this important day. It is a day that should come 
at the close of a period of personal evangelism upon the 
part of the Sunday school officers and teachers, leading 
up to a time set for the purpose of granting to pupils 
the privilege of publicly confessing Christ. Great care 
should be taken that the observance of this day is not 
made mechanical. It will be of value only when it 
comes at the close of a carefully planned and vital pro- 
gram of personal evangelism. It should be observed 
for the departments above the primary, and if possible 
in separate groups, not throwing the children and the 
adults together in such a service. Special leaflets on 
this can be had by addressing denominational head- 
quarters. If an evangelistic campaign is to head up 
with Easter Sunday, Decision Day should come at 
least two weeks ahead of that occasion so that the pas- 
tor and teachers may have the opportunity of visiting 
in the homes of the children and talking over with their 
parents the matter of Church membership and so that 
by proper instruction they may be prepared for Church 
membership before Easter Sunday. It is not necessary 
that Decision Day be observed at that particular time 
of the year, since continuous personal evangelism should 
be a part of the program of every Sunday school. 
Easter. Easter is one of the great Christian festivals 
that is observed by many Churches and is coming 
more and more to be emphasized as a day for a great 
annual ingathering of Church members. Sunday school 


pupils who have been led to a conscious knowledge of 
96 


“ steals oe eS 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


Jesus Christ during the year will find this a most im- 
pressive time for taking the vows of the Church. Wher- 
ever possible, children should be received into the 
Church in a separate class from adults. 

Sunday School Day. This is one great day that 
should be observed by the whole Sunday school, if 
possible, at eleven o’clock on Sunday. The Discipline 
provides for its observance on the third Sunday in 
April or as near thereto as practical. The General 
Sunday School Board provides suitable programs, and 
most Conference Boards will furnish them free of cost 
to any Sunday school making application for them. 
The object of this day is to bring before the entire 
membership of the Church the purpose and work of the 
Sunday school in religious education. A special offer- 
ing should be taken on this day, to be dedicated to the 
Sunday school extension work. Many of our Confer- 
ences depend largely upon the Sunday School Day 
offering for carrying on their Conference Sunday school 
program. 

Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day has come to be nation- 
ally observed as a day in which special tribute to 
motherhood can be paid. This day should usually be 
observed with departmental programs, different ap- 
peals being made to different groups, calling for an in- 
creased respect, honor, and love for mothers. Thiscan 
be made a most impressive and beautiful service. 

Promotion Day. The observance of this day is very 
essential to the maintaining of real educational work 
in the Sunday school. If a boy attends his day school 
from year to year and is promoted from grade to grade 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





and attends a Sunday school where he has the same 
lessons, the same teacher, and things are done in the 
same way year after year, he soon reaches the conclu- 
sion that he is getting nowhere, and just as soon as his 
parents will permit he quits. Hecan hardly be blamed 
for this, for youth wants to feel like it is making head- 
way. Promotion Day serves to give definite recogni- 
tion to the progress that is being made by the pupils. 

It is to be remembered that it is the pupil that is to 
be promoted. In a small Sunday school where, for 
instance, there is only one class in the Primary group 
the same teacher will have many pupils during a period 
of three years, but as the pupils pass out of this age 
they should be promoted to the class above, the teacher 
remaining with those pupils that have been promoted 
from the lower class. This plan will serve two good 
purposes. It will enable the teacher to become more 
and more proficient with that particular age group, and 
it will make it possible for the pupil to receive the bene- 
fits of contact with more than one teacher. Occa- 
sionally a teacher has successfully held a group of 
pupils together clear through childhood and youth, 
but such teachers are rare... More pupils, many times 
over, are driven out of Sunday school because they be- 
come tired of contact with the same teacher year after 
year than have remained because of their love for one 
particular teacher. On Promotion Day there should 
be a program for the whole school, and at this time the 
handwork of the younger pupils might be exhibited as 
well as the memory work and the songs that they have 


learned. 
98 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





Training Day. In connection with Promotion Day 
it may be very profitable to observe Training Day. 
If the pastor will permit, use the eleven o’clock hour 
for this program. At this service the pastor may de- 
liver an address on the importance of a trained leader- 
ship in the Sunday school, and it will furnish a fine 
opportunity for launching the fall and winter training 
program and for making plans for an all-year-round 
training class. This will also be a good time to install 
any new officers or teachers, publicly dedicating them 
to their tasks. As a part of the service the pastor can 
deliver a charge to the officers and teachers, pointing 
out the responsibility that rests upon them as teachers 
of religion. This really ought to be one of the great 
days in the calendar of each congregation, and particu- 
larly can it be made so in connection with a promotion 
program held at the regular hour for Church service. 
The best time for Promotion Day is the last Sunday in 
September. The Sunday school year usually begins on 
the first Sunday in October, and new classes should be 
formed and new teachers installed at least a week be- 
fore the opening of the new Sunday school year. 

Rally Day. Rally Day should be observed at the 
time the greatest number of people are returning from 
their summer vacations and other conditions in the 
community that affect the attendance at Church and 
Sunday school services are most favorable. In some 
communities the first Sunday in September is a good 
time for making an unusual effort to rally all the people 
in the community to start in for the fall and winter 


work. The entrance of new members and the returning 
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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


of old ones can well be emphasized on this occasion. 
The program should be largely inspirational and pro- 
duce great enthusiasm. Programs for this day can be 
had from the denominational publishing house. 

Thanksgiving Day. This is one of the great annual 
festivals that is observed in America and in the Sun- 
day school should usually be observed by the separate 
groups. The program should take the place of the or- 
dinary worship service for the day with some added 
features that will lead the pupils to an expression of 
thanksgiving and praise to God for his goodness and 
bounty. Opportunity should be given for the pupils 
to make some definite expression in the way of offerings 
of food, clothing, or other things for those who are 
less fortunate than themselves. 

Christmas Day. The Sunday nearest the twenty- 
fifth of December will always remain a Sunday of su- 
preme interest in Christian communities. Hereagainan 
appropriate program for each group should be provid- 
ed. The program, whether given on Sunday or a week 
day, should aim to lead the children of the Sunday school 
away from the old idea of thinking about what they 
are going to get to the ideal that was expressed in the 
life of Jesus, so that the season may be observed, not 
as a day for receiving, but a day for giving good gifts 
to others because of God’s great gift to us. The White 
Christmas service is becoming more and more popular. 
This service should have for its central theme the idea 
of others. Some beautiful programs have been provided 
by the Methodist Publishing House that will enable 


any Sunday school to observe the Christmas season 
100 


wee 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





with real Christian service. In communities where 
there are many poor families a Christmas tree given 
for them by a Sunday school group will prove a very 
enjoyable occasion, but a Christmas tree celebration 
for the distribution of gifts and candy to the well-to- 
do children of the community is not a real demonstra- 
tion of the Christ spirit. A social gathering at Christ- 
mas may be made very interesting and profitable for 
the Sunday school, but the giving of presents on such 
occasions should be discouraged unless they be for 
those who are really in need. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Of what value to the Sunday school are special days? 
2. Name some of the special days that could be observed in 
your Sunday school? 
3. Should a special day service take the place of the regular 
period? Why, or why not? 
4, What preparation should be made for special day programs? 
101 


CHAPTER X 
RECORDS AND REPORTS 


Wuy Keer REcoRDS? 


AN institution that is doing anything worth while 
needs to keep a record of its work. No matter how 
small the bank or the store may be, its owners keep a 
set of books, or at least one book, in order that they 
may know how much stock or money they have on 
hand, whether or not they are running at a profit, and 
whether the business is growing. The smaller the busi- 
ness the simpler the form of records, and yet they 
should be complete enough to contain full information 
about the business. 

So it is with the Sunday school. It should keep a 
set of books or records, very simple if the school is 
small, but they should contain enough information to 
enable the officers and teachers in the school to know 
something about what the school is doing and whether 
or not it is making progress. The superintendent and 
other officers need to know just what the condition of 
the Sunday school is and not have to be always guessing. 
They need to know the names of the pupils. They need 
to know who are attending regularly. They need to 
know the financial condition of the Sunday school and 
the record of attendance of each officer and teacher. 


KINDS OF RECORDS 


There should be a record of all the meetings of the 


Workers’ Council. There should also be a record of 
102 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


each session of the Sunday school. There should be a 
record of each class, and in each class a record of each 
pupil. 

Workers’ Council Record. ‘The records of the Work- 
ers’ Council should show the names of all the officers 
and teachers present and whether any members were 
absent on account of sickness or other sufficient cause. 
Such a record would enable the pastor and superin- 
tendent at the close of the year to check up on the faith- 
fulness of the members of the Council. The Workers’ 
Council record should also show all matters of business 
and any of the reports of committees, the treasurer, or 
others that are made to the Council. The secretary 
of the school should have provided for him a regular 
minute book in which these records are to be kept. 
They should be dated and officially signed by the 
superintendent and secretary of the school. The elec- 
tion of new officers and teachers from year to year 
should be recorded in the minutes. The Workers’ 
Council minutes are the historical record of the Sunday 
school. They should therefore be neatly and accurately 
kept. 

Records of the School Sessions. These records should 
also be compiled by the general secretary, properly 
dated, and neatly kept. The general secretary will de- 
pend very largely upon the records that are made up 
by the various classes, and the accuracy of his records 
will depend upon the accuracy of the class and in- 
dividual records that have been prepared for him. 
Much emphasis should be laid upon the importance of 


keeping accurate records. Remember, in the Sunday 
103 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


school we are training the growing generation in meth- 
ods of conducting the work of the Church, and surely 
there is room for improvement along this line. 

There are a good many things that will need to go in 
the Sunday school record. If the school is meeting in 
a common worship service, it will be well to record the 
name of the leader of the service and the theme or 
Scripture topic that was used for that particular day. 
If there is any unusual feature or special day observance, 
this also should go into the record. The record should 
in every case show the number of officers and teachers 
present; and if any are absent on account of sickness, 
the fact should be recorded. Teachers will also desire 
to know the total number of pupils that are from time 
to time enrolled in the school, the number that are 
present, and the number on time. If there are any 
special class activities or any business that must be 
attended to, it should show in these minutes. The 
records should also show the financial receipts for each 
session. 

Class Records. There will need to be a record kept 
in each class. In the younger groups this record will be 
kept by the teacher. In the older groups it may be 
kept by the teacher or by a class secretary. This record 
should show the presence or absence of the teacher and 
each member of the class, and also the number present, 
the number sick, the amount of the class offering, the 
number of pupils away from home, and any special 
work that may have been undertaken by the class 
during the preceding week. Printed forms for class 


reports covering all those items can be secured from 
104 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





any publishing house handling Sunday school supplies. 
These forms can be readily and easily filled in by the 
teacher or class secretary and, along with the class 
offering, handed in to the general secretary for use in 
making up the general report. 

Individual Record. The teacher will need to keep an 
individual record for each pupil in the class. First of 
all, this individual record should contain certain in- 
formation about the pupil: such as the name, parent’s 
name, telephone number, and post-office address. If 
the pupil is a member of the Church or has made a 
profession of Christ and has not yet joined the Church, 
the teacher should have this information. The teacher 
should also know, and it is well to have this information 
on the pupil’s record, whether or not the parents of the 
child are members of the Church. If the pupils are of 
school age, the school standing should be recorded; also 
the birthday, month and year; and if the pupil has 
any special gift, such as musical or reading talent, this 
should be on record. The records should show the date 
on which the pupil entered school and at the close of 
the year his promotion. The individual record should 
show whether or not the pupil has been punctual from 
Sunday to Sunday, whether he has brought an offering, 
has studied the lesson, and his behavior in class. It 
takes but little time to place such information on the 
specially prepared record blank, and without it the 
teacher will be continually guessing at many things. 

Financial Record. There should be kept an accurate 
record of all moneys received and paid out. In the 


small school the secretary may act as treasurer also, 
105 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


but in the larger school there should be the regular 
treasurer. But, whoever handles the money, heshould 
keep an accurate record of it from Sunday to Sunday 
and should pay out the money only upon the order of 
the superintendent. Many a Sunday school runs hope- 
lessly into debt because the members of the school do 
not know its financial condition. It will be well, there- 
fore, if at least once a month at the Workers’ Council 
meeting the secretary or treasurer will give a detailed 
financial report showing all moneys received and all 
bills that have been paid. 


THE RECORD KEEPERS 


Since many of the records of the Sunday school secre 
tary are dependent upon other records that are given 
to him by class secretaries or teachers, it will be neces- 
sary for them to codperate with him in every way pos- 
sible in order that his records may be complete and 
accurate. Some of the marks of a good secretary of the 
Sunday school might be enumerated as follows: 

1. The secretary should be accurate and neat. 

2. He should know what records to keep and how 
to instruct other persons to furnish him these records. 

3. He should, in conference with the Workers’ Coun- 
cil, work out the record system that is to be used and 
have it thoroughly explained so that every one will 
know just what is expected. 

4. He should attend every session of the Workers’ 
Council and every session of the Sunday school and, if 
compelled to be absent, should see to it that his records 

106 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


are present and that some capable person is ready to 
take his place. 

5. He should not be contentious with the officers 
and teachers who fail to give information as he would 
like to have it. 

6. He should prepare a report for each Workers’ 
Council, showing the progress of the school, the average 
attendance, the total enrollment, the condition of the 
finances, and any other matters of interest to the 
Council. 

7. He should prepare a complete report of the con- 
dition of the Sunday school to be presented by the 
superintendent at each Quarterly Conference. This 
report should also be read in the presence of the whole 
school in order that the entire membership may know 
its condition. 


MAKING UP THE REPORTS 


One of the most disturbing elements in the average 
Sunday school is this very matter of making up the 
reports. The teacher is anxious that the report shall 
not be made up until all the late pupils have arrived, 
and when she is about half through the lesson the sec- 
retary will come around, calling for the report, thus 
breaking into the lesson period and diverting the at- 
tention of the pupils. In order to avoid such confusion 
the teachers and secretary in the Workers’ Council 
should agree upon a definite time at which the record 
shall be made up. In some schools it will be advisable 
not to do this until after the class work is over. This 


will give a complete record of the entire attendance. 
107 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





Then when the classes have been closed the secretary 
may gather up the reports and enter them in his report 
book at his leisure. This, of course, prevents the sec- 
retary having the report to read at that particular 
session; but this is a help rather than a hindrance, for 
the time spent in reading a report that has been hastily 
prepared is apt to be wasted. No records should be 
prepared hastily and before the entire work of the 
school is complete, otherwise the report must be in- 
accurate. It has been often doubted whether there is 
any value at all in having the secretary read a report. 
The best method of getting the various reports before 
the school is to have a blackboard or chart at the front 
of the main assembly room, on which the secretary may 
place the report for the last Sunday and compare it 
with that of a year before. This does not need to be 
read, for every one who has eyes to see can read it;and 
since we remember ten times as easily what we see as 
what we hear, much more advantage will be gained by 
having the report displayed than by reading it aloud. 

If there are any items of special interest in a report, 
such as gain or loss, that need to be called to the at- 
tention of the school, it is very easy for the superin- 
tendent, secretary, or pastor to point to the visible 
report so that all eyes may see at a glance just what 
the item is. 

Very much of the success or failure of the Sunday 
school depends upon the kind of records that it keeps. 
It is nct enough to know how many pupils were present 
on a given Sunday. We want to know what pupils 


were present; and if the records are kept as indicated 
108 











ITS PLANS AND WORK 





above, the pastors, superintendents, and teachers will 
be able to know who are the irregular pupils and thus 
to stimulate regularity. A good record will also enable 
the pastor and superintendent to check up on the 
punctuality of teachers and officers. 

These may seem like small matters, but they are 
items that enter very largely into character building, 
and the Sunday school that will stimulate regularity 
and promptness of attendance on the part of its officers 
and teachers will thus make a splendid contribution to 
the character of the boys and girls that come to its 
sessions. 

Too much care cannot be taken in selecting a com- 
petent and faithful Sunday school secretary, one who 
will appreciate the importance of the task.and will al- 
ways faithfully work at it. The Sunday school secre- 
taryship is not something that should be given out as 
a compliment, but the person elected to this position 
should be elected on the basis of his qualifications for 
the task. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. Why is it important to keep records in the Sunday school? 
What kind of records should be kept? 

2. Name some of the important matters connected with the 
Sunday morning session that should be recorded. 

3. Why should a record of finances be kept? 

4, What is the value of making frequent reports of the finan- 
cial condition of the school? 

5. What are some of the things connected with the work Of 
the pupil that should be recorded? 

109 


CHAPTER XI 
SUNDAY SCHOOL BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS 


TueE character of a child is very largely determined 
by the kind of a home in which he lives. A house may be 
small, the furniture scanty, and the conveniences limited; 
but if the place is kept neat, clean, and in order, it ceases 
to be a mere house and becomes a home and will assist 
in building good character for the children in that home. 
No matter how large a house may be, how fine the 
furniture, how many the comforts, if it is sloven and 
dirty, if things are in disorder, the floors unswept, the 
beds unmade, the windows unwashed, and the yard 
littered up, such a home will assist in the forming of 
loose habits and will thus seriously affect the character 
of its children. It is a true saying that one never out- 
lives his childhood home. The old oaken bucket, the 
spring, the brook, the orchard, the cellar, the store- 
room filled with good things for winter, the barnyard, 
and the haymow—all such memories make dear to us 
the scenes of our childhood, and they have all played 
a part in the making of our characters. 

Just as the character of the child is influenced by the 
physical environments of his home, so his religious edu- 
cation is greatly affected by the physical condition of 
the buildings and grounds where he first goes to Sunday 
school, where he gets his first religious impression under 
the direction of the Church. When youth begins to 

110 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 





place values upon the things that touch his life, it is 
natural that he should estimate the Church largely in 
terms of its physical appearance. His appreciation of 
the Church will be largely determined by the place 
which the Church provides for him in childhood. 


Wuy WE LOSE THE YOUTH FROM THE CHURCH 


Every Protestant Church in America is facing the 
problem of keeping the older boys and girls loyal to its 
services. During childhood they are brought or sent 
by their parents and are regular attendants upon the 
Sunday school sessions. As soon as they reach the 
period when they are able to come by themselves and 
are permitted to choose for themselves, they begin to 
rapidly fall away from the Sunday school and Church 
services. This is one of the most serious problems of 
the pastor and Sunday school worker. ‘‘There’s a 
reason,’ and there is no question but that one reason 
is the fact that the Church has made little or no physical 
provision for childhood and youth. Think of thousands 
of our present churches. When they were built and the 
pews installed, it was all planned for grown men and 
women. There were no little chairs or benches for 
children so that they might sit in comfort through the 
services. On the other hand, children were placed upon 
high benches with their legs dangling over the edge, the 
sharp corner interfering with the circulation of the 
blood and wearing on the nerves that lead to the feet. 
This explains in part the restlessness of small children 
during a long Church service. Nature revolts at such 


punishment. Can you imagine adults being seated so 
111 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





that their feet could not touch the floor. If you can, 
you can also imagine that there would be much com- 
plaint and little attendance at the Church service. In 
the home where children are welcomed and loved things 
are always planned for their comfort and convenience. 
The child has his own chair, his toys, his corner, his 
place at the table, his bed, and perhaps his own room. 
His things and place are sacredly guarded by his 
parents. When he goes to Church, how different! 
As soon as he begins to think and observe for himself 
he discovers that here everything belongs to the 
‘“‘orown-ups.”’ If an extra classroom is talked of as 
an addition to the building, it is often for a class of 
grown men or women. If one of these rooms is to be 
carpeted and made more cheerful, this again is for the 
grown-ups. He is shifted around from place to place in 
the building to suit the convenience of adult classes. 
There is not even a bench or a dark corner that he can 
call his own. Is it any wonder that as soon as he is old 
enough to choose for himself he wanders away with the 
gang or spends his time in other places than the church? 

As in the home that makes no place for its children, 
where nothing is sacred to them, the child soon wanders 
away, so it is that in the Church that makes no physical 
provision for its childhood there will be found a genera- 
tion of lost sons. The Church that fails to provide a 
special place for its gang of boys need not be surprised 
to find them holding forth in caves, in barn lofts, and 
in deserted buildings. The Church that really loves | 
its childhood and its youth will begin to plan suitable 


places for them. 
112 








ITS PLANS AND WORK 





THE CHURCH AND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS 


Children place an estimate on the value of things in 
keeping with the amount of investment that parents 
make in them. ‘Our car cost the most”’ is positive 
proof to the boy that ‘‘our car is the best.” So he 
places a value upon the church as compared with other 
institutions and investments in the community. The 
father of a family gives his enthusiastic support to the 
erection of a new, modern public school building in 
order that his children may have the very best in the 
way of building and equipment for the study of gram- 
mar, history,and arithmetic. But thissame father may 
resist all efforts upon the part of the pastor and Sun- 
day school workers to build ever so small an addition 
to the old church or to tear down the old church and 
replace it with a new and modern building suitable for 
the teaching of religion and training in Christian living. 
The children in that family will naturally reach the 
conclusion that arithmetic, history, and grammar are 
of a great deal more importance in life than religion is. 
Scarcely any other conclusion could be reached. The 
boy thinks his father’s judgment is good; and since the 
father enthusiastically supports the one and discourages 
the other, he is sure there is nothing in the Church very 
much worth while. Thousands upon thousands of dol- 
lars are being spent in almost every American com- 
munity for building better roads so that travel may 
be easier, and these roads are running in front of church 
buildings that are in many communities the most dis- 
reputable looking of all the public buildings. 


The tabernacle that was built in the wilderness and 
113 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





the temple at Jerusalem held a very important place in 
Jewish life. No matter where the Jew went throughout 
the world, his thought and affections were centered at 
Jerusalem and in the temple. No wonder the temple 
held the affections of the people! Read the description 
of it as given in Exodus xxvi. and xxvii. and 1 Kings 
vi. and see with what care the materials were selected. 
The choicest and most precious things that could be had 
were used in this building. 

The community that fails to appreciate the value of 
a beautiful and useful church building need not expect 
to be able to magnify the Church in the mind of child- 
hood. It may be that the Church membership cannot 
afford a large and modern building, but every com- 
munity can afford to keep what it has in good condition, 
clean, attractive, and inviting, windows in repair, and 
the heating system in good order. Everything should 
be swept and dusted, the books arranged in order, and 
provision made for heat on Saturday so that the Sun- 
day services may be conducted without interruption 
and in decent comfort. 


THE CHURCH GROUNDS 


Not only should the building be made attractive and 
arranged so that it may accommodate the various 
groups that come for their religious instruction, but the 
grounds surrounding the church and the approaches 
should be kept clear of weeds and accumulated rubbish. 
A lawn with a few shrubs and flowers and trees will 
make even a small church look attractive to the whole 


community. The entire Church membership ought to 
114 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


be interested in the upkeep and improvement of the 
buildings and grounds, though this responsibility may 
well be distributed among various persons or classes. 
Even the youngest of the children will unite with en- 
thusiasm and profit in helping to keep the church house 
and yard in order if given a chance. 

At least twice each year in country neighborhoods 
certain days of the week ought to be set aside for caring 
for the church building and grounds. Voluntary help 
can be secured easily, and the cost need not be very 
great. If the grounds are sufficiently large to the side 
or in the rear of the church building, they can be put 
to good use by making them over into a community 
center playground, particularly for the use of the smaller 
children. A few swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, cro- 
quet grounds, and other such equipment can be installed 
without much labor or cost and become of very great 
service to the children of a community under proper 
adult supervision. 


COMMISSION ON ARCHITECTURE 


The General Conference of 1922 made provision for 
the creation of a Commission on Architecture, composed 
of representatives of the General Sunday School Board 
and the Board of Church Extension. It is the duty of 
this Commission to work out standards and plans suit- 
able for various types and sizes of churches and for im- 
provements on old buildings. This Commission is 
ready to give counsel and advice without any charge 
whatever to persons interested in remodeling or equip- 


ping new buildings, and the Architectural Department 
nS 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





of the General Board of Church Extension will furnish 
blue prints and plans at a minimum cost upon applica- 
tion to that department. One of the provisions in the 
Program of Work for the “‘C Type”’ Sunday school is 
that all plans for new buildings or improvements must 
be submitted to this Commission for their inspection 
and suggestions. This Commission is always at the 
service of every Church that may seek suggestions and 
advice so as to avoid the many blunders that have been 
made in the church architecture of the past. 


STANDARD FOR “Tyre C”’ SuNDAY SCHOOL BUILDINGS 


1. All walls of the building should be along straight 
lines as far as practicable. 

2. Provision should be made for not less than three 
rooms in addition to the auditorium. A minimum of 
five rooms is preferable. 

3. Good walls, as nearly soundproof as possible, 
should separate at least three of the rooms from one 
another and from the auditorium. 

4. In each of at least three rooms there should be 
provided a minimum of fifteen square feet per pupil. 
Entrances to the rear of the pupils. 

5. Windows of clear glass should be in at least three 
of the rooms. 

6. Each room, including the auditorium, should be 
so arranged that proper lighting, heating, and ventilation 
may be provided. 

7. If there is a basement, the floor should not be more 


than three feet below grade level. 
116 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


8. Lighting and seating should be so arranged that 
pupils do not have to face a glare. 

9. At least one room should be arranged so that it 
may be used for special gatherings of the people of the 
Church and community. 

10. Due regard must be given to safety regulations 
as to fires, storms, etc. 

11. Sanitary toilet and drinking facilities should be 
provided. 

12. Built-in cabinets or other provision should be 
made for the care of books, lesson material, and other 
supplies. 

13. Floors properly protected or constructed so as 
to avoid cold, dampness, noise, and dust. 

14. Ample provision for the care of wraps, coats, 
overshoes, umbrellas, and hats. 

15. Walls and woodwork carefully planned as to 
color schemes, light, and general esthetic values. 


SUGGESTIVE PLANS 


The following plans with general description have 
been selected from the published plans of the Board 
of Church Extension. They will serve somewhat as an 
illustration of the principles that are set forth in the 
paragraph on standards. No pastor or building com- 
mittee ought ever undertake either the remodeling of 
an old building or the erection of a new building with- 
out consulting with the architectural experts that are 
provided in every denomination. Mistakes that are 
built into brick and mortar are hard to correct and very 


expensive. The plans given are only suggestive. Many 
117 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


others may be had by securing the leaflet literature of 
the Board of Church Extension or by addressing the 
Department of School Administration of the General 
Sunday School Board, 810 Broadway, Nashville, Tenn. 

Suggestive Church Plan No. 40 can be carried out 
either in brick or frame construction. There are seven 
separate rooms besides the auditorium. The pews pro- 
vide 154 adult sittings, the choir 16, and the four con- 
necting classrooms 68, a total of 238 adult sittings. 

There are separate department rooms for Beginners, 
Primaries, and Juniors, with outside entrance to each. 
The auditorium will be used as a place of general as- 
sembly for that part of the Sunday school above the 
Junior age. 

There is no basement except for hot-air furnace and 
fuel. 





























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NO, 40, FRONT ELEVATION. 
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120 








ITS PLANS AND WORK 


Suggestive Plan No. 35. This general arrangement 
has found wide acceptance with small congregations. 
There is provision for the elementary grades of the 
Sunday school and a very good equipment for classes 
of a more advanced age. There are nine separate rooms 
besides the auditorium, and a number of these can be 
used to enlarge the seating capacity when needed. The 
design is attractive in appearance and provides for 
economical construction. 

























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The auditorium is 31x40 feet in size, and the pews 
have 140 adult sittings, choir 15, and the six class- 
rooms opening into the auditorium will seat 122—277 
adults in all. 

There are separate department rooms for Beginners, 
Primaries, and Juniors, with outside entrance to each. 
Communicating doors between department rooms are 
for emergency purpose only. Allowing fifteen square feet 
of floor space per pupil, the Beginners Department will 
accomodate 15, the Primary and Junior Departments 
20 each. Seniors and Intermediates can have their 


separate rooms for class work. 
121 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





There is no basement except for hot-air furnace and 
fuel. No toilets or lavatories are shown, though in 
cases where sewers are accessible these can be provided 
for with slight additional cost. 

The extreme dimensions are: Width, 59 feet; length, 
not including steps, 90 feet. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1. What is the effect of physical surroundings upon a child? 

2. When a youth lives in a community having good roads, good 
public schools, and good public buildings and attends a Sunday 
school in a dilapidated church building, what value does he place 
upon religion as compared with good roads and other community 
enterprises? 

3. If the church building is limited in its room, should prefer- 
ence be given to the occasional large crowd, or should it provide 
for fifty-two weeks of educational work? 

4. If only adult pews are to be found in the church building, 
can the children be seated in comfort? 

5. Ifthe adult Bible class occupies the center of the church 
building, how does this affect the opportunity of the younger 
children for the study of their lesson? 

6. Why should the building committee of the local Church con- 
sult with the officers of the General Sunday School Board before 
building or repairing? 


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NO. 35. FLOOR PLAN. 
124 


CHAPTER XII 


Tae SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKER AS AN 
EVANGELIST 


AIM 


THE supreme purpose of the Sunday schoolis to bring 
all its pupils intoa personal, conscious, and intelligent 
relationship to Jesus Christ and to train them for his 
service. We may build great cathedrals and beautiful 
churches, install art-glass windows and sweet-toned or- 
gans, raise millions for missions, build many hospitals, 
and do much social service work; we may select and 
train thousands of young men and young women and 
send them forth on missionary journeys; we may con- 
duct a Sunday school in every community in the land, 
but unless these agencies shall bring the individuals to 
a personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Sa- 
viour, they are as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. 
The aim of the Sunday school is well expressed in that 
now familiar statement: ‘‘The Sunday school seeks to 
offer a plan by which each pupil may be led to a knowl- 
edge of God’s will and to a definite acceptance of Jesus 
Christ as personal Saviour and Lord,and to develop a 
Christian character that is expressed through worship, 
right living, and efficient service.” 


DEFINITION 


In this chapter we are dealing with the Sunday school 


worker as an evangelist. It might be well for us to get 
125 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


a clear idea as to what this word means. What is an 
evangelist? What is evangelism? Without any at- 
tempt at historical definition of the term, but getting 
our idea from the practice of the New Testament 
Church, we might well say that evangelism, is telling 
the good news that ‘‘God so loved the world, that he 
gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” All 
the means that are used for winning people to an in- 
telligent acquaintanceship with Jesus Christ may truly 
be defined as evangelism. It naturally follows then 
that an evangelist is anyone who brings this good news. 
The mother who in nurturing her children trains them 
up in the way they should go, teaching them to love 
and obey their Heavenly Father, is an evangelist. The 
Sunday school worker who teaches growing life week 
after week, whether it be in the giving of formal in- 
struction in the class or in the living example that has 
so much to do with the forming of Christian character, 
is an evangelist. The superintendent and pastor who 
by godly living, by precept and example are demon- 
strating the Christian life, these also are evangelists. 
The one thing the Church needs to get clear in its think- 
ing is that evangelism is not confined to a single type 
ef service or experience nor to a special season, but is 
a process that should be going on wherever Christian 
men and women live and teach. The very essence of 
Christianity is in sharing the best one has with others. 
The best the Christian has to share is Christ, and the 
best evidence of a Christian experience is found in the 


desire to share this experience with others. 
126 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 





So, whether it be in the home, in the school, or on 
the playground, whenever boys and girls are won to the 
Christian way of living, they are being evangelized; 
and whoever is associated in the forming of Christian 
character and winning to a personal acceptance of 
Christ is an evangelist. Every Christian should be an 
evangelist, and surely every officer and teacher in the 
Sunday schoo! should be brought to realize the high 
privilege and opportunity of winning souls to Christ. 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL A PROMISING FIELD 


In the last few years the Church has awakened to a 
knowledge of the fact that its most promising and fruit- 
ful field of evangelism is the Sunday school. It is fruit- 
ful because the fallow soil of childhood and youth is a 
rich garden spot for the planting and cultivation of re- 
ligious truth and habit. It is promising because it 
offers to us the beautiful, unstained, unhardened lives 
that can be won and saved to the kingdom of Christ 
without wandering away into sin. It has been esti- 
mated many times that from eighty to ninety per cent 
of our present Protestant Church membership came into 
the Church directly from the Sunday school. An in- 
vestigation of the converts of almost any revival will 
reveal the fact that practically every one of them has 
had Christian training in childhood and youth. Harold 
Begbie, the great slum worker of London, tells us that 
only one of the characters appearing in ‘‘Twice-Born 
Men” had not had religious training in childhood. Al- 
most every pastor, Sunday school superintendent, 


teacher, or officer in the missionary society in any 
127 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Church will testify to the fact that careful religious 
teaching and training during childhood account for 
their present religious life. Sunday school teachers have 
a golden opportunity for service to God and man that 
is excelled only by the privilege of Christian parenthood. 


A COOPERATIVE TASK 


One of the most important facts to remember in the 
work of an evangelist is that it is only when we are 
conscious of God’s Spirit and codperate with this Spirit 
that we are able to accomplish results. St. Paul ex- 
presses it when he said: “‘ We are God’s fellow workers.” 
It is not in our own strength that we are to undertake 
this great task of winning souls to Christ. It will be 
under the direction and leadership of the Holy Spirit 
that we shall go forth in search of those who have not 
known Christ. In entering upon a partnership such 
as this the Sunday school worker should realize that 
the success of the work will depend upon his own fitness. 

Physically Fit. The Sunday school teacher who is to 
be a real soul winner cannot approach the sacred task 
physically exhausted. The teacher who makes his 
Sunday school class the last consideration in his plans 
will not be successful in winning his pupils to Christ. 
The bright, cheerful face and the warm heart and the 
personal appearance that indicates that the teacher has 
stored up energy for the task will go very far toward 
making contacts with bright, vivacious youth. 

Mental Fitness. The teacher must come to the class 
Sunday after Sunday with mind alert, with lesson pre- 


pared, and with knowledge first of all of the Book that 
128 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


furnishes the material for the religious education of our 
pupils. The teacher will need to know the Book not 
merely as a collection of genealogies and biographies, 
a record of wars and victories, a collection of prophecies, 
poetry, music, romance, tragedy, travels, and pastorals; 
but he must know the Book as the Book of Life, the 
Book that reveals and interprets God in the life and 
ministry of Jesus. The reason why many pupils get 
so little from their Sunday school lesson is because the 
teacher has gotten so little from the Book of books. 

Spiritually Fit. TheSunday school worker who would 
be an evangelist must know from his own experience the 
joy of Christian living, must have a heart filled with 
love for the pupil and with a passion for hissoul. Spir- 
itual fitness will best be secured by devotional study 
of the Scriptures and by frequent seasons of secret 
prayer. The teacher who would be able to impart real 
enthusiasm for Christian living needs to walk with Jesus 
on the road to Emmaus, as did the disciples until their 
“hearts burned within them.” The Sunday school 
teacher who would win souls for the kingdom must 
first of all have the kingdom within himself. His life 
must be filled with the spirit of Christ. He cannot in- 
troduce a pupil to Christ without first knowing both 
the pupil and Christ. 

The story is told of some children who were playing 
ona city street. One of them had found a broken piece 
of mirror and, sitting on a curb, was catching the rays 
of the afternoon sun and reflecting them into the faces 
of the passers-by and into the office windows across the 


street. His little playmates had found pieces of broken 
129 





THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





glass and wanted to enjoy the sport with him. Toa 
passer-by they said that, though they had rubbed smut 
on one side of the glass, and had tried to make it 
look like the piece of glass held by the other boy, still 
they could not catch and reflect the sun’s rays. Taking 
the broken pieces of glass in his hand, the passer-by 
pointed out to them the difference between the pieces 
they held and the piece of broken mirror. It was the 
quicksilver on the mirror, said he, that reflected the 
light. So it is with Sunday school teachers. If they 
lack the background of a personal experience of Jesus 
Christ, they cannot reflect him so that others may see 
and believe. 
SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS 


Special Periods. While the work of the Sunday 
school teacher should be evangelistic in its nature 
throughout the years, there are special periods when 
emphasis should be laid upon a definite acceptance of 
Christ and a public confession of loyalty to him. Just 
as the plant has grown from the seed, first putting forth 
stem and leaf and finally, under the influence of the 
warm sun and the spring rain, lifting its head into 
blossom, so the religious life of a child may grow from 
week to week, taking into its nature the religious truths 
that have been given by the teacher until the natural, 
normal result of its growth will be to open the heart 
and turn the face upward and say: ‘‘My Lord and my 
God.”’ Sunday school workers, therefore, need to plan 


for special seasons of evangelistic effort when the pu- 
130 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


pils of the school may be offered the opportunity of con- 
fessing Christ and pledging him their love and loyalty. 

Preparation. A special evangelistic service for chil- 
dren should not be undertaken lightly and without 
preparation. First of all, the Sunday school teacher 
should become so intimately acquainted with his pupils 
that he knows for certain which of them have made a 
public confession of Christ and which have not. There 
is nothing that strikes so deep into the heart of a boy 
who has made a confession of Christ and has been try- 
ing to live the Christ life as to have some one ask: ‘‘ Are 
you a Christian?’’ The story is told of a little girl who 
on a special occasion was invited to come to Jesus and 
failed to respond to the invitation to go forward to the 
altar with other members of the class. Afterwards the 
teacher said to her, ‘‘My dear, I was so disappointed 
in you to-day. I thought you would be the first to 
want to come to Jesus,” and to this the child replied: 
‘I don’t understand you. I have never left him.” 

The second step necessary for the special evangelistic 
service will be the personal preparation of the teacher, 
asking divine guidance that the right and wise thing 
may be said and done as he talks with his pupils on this 
the most sacred of all relations of life, the relationship 
to Jesus Christ. Prayer will play a large part in the 
success of the effort, prayer not only for one’s own 
spiritual enrichment, but prayer that the hearts of the 
children may be made open and that the message or 
special appeal may bear fruit. 

A third suggestion is that this special period should 


not be advertised and magnified as though it were a 
131 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


rally day or some other spectacular event. Our children 
should never be impressed with the idea that there are 
only certain set periods of time when they have the 
opportunity to accept Christ. Our dependence upon 
the periodical revival as a means of evangelism has im- 
pressed upon thousands of our people that only at a 
certain time and in a spectacular way could God for- 
give sin. Long before the special time that may be 
determined upon the teachers should have personal 
and intimate talks with their pupils. Few persons have 
access to the heart of the pupil as does the earnest 
Sunday school teacher. If the teacher has been a loving 
teacher, a real teacher, the pupil will listen and respond 
to his appeal for a surrendered life. 

Fourth, the teacher should be in close touch with the 
home and should talk freely with parents about the 
step he is asking the pupil totake. Many alife has been 
wrecked because of a lack of understanding on the part 
of the parents as to what the teacher was trying to do 
for the pupil. 

Fifth, the pastor is a most important factor in these 
special efforts. He should have the aid of all the 
teachers in the period of preparation. He should lead 
in this service that makes for the enrichment of the 
religious life of his workers. Hewill need largely to give 
direction to the plans, to counsel with his workers, to 
visit in the homes, and to talk with the pupils. There 
can be no more profitable investment of the pastor’s 
time than to lead an evangelistic program in his own 
Sunday school. When the day of decision has arrived, 


it should be the pastor who leads in this service. If he 
132 





ITS PLANS AND WORK 


has been a Sunday school pastor, he will have the ad- 
miration, respect, and confidence of the pupils, and he 
can easily lead them to a public confession and a 
personal acceptance of Jesus. 

Sixth, in the older classes those pupils who have been 
consistent in their Christian living may well be en- 
listed in making an appeal to their fellows. If a per- 
sonal workers’ band is organized among the older 
groups, be sure that only those whose lives are ex- 
emplary and whose appeal will challenge the attention 
of others are selected, else there is great danger of cre- 
ating the wrong conception of Christian living. 


DECISION OR CONFESSION DAY 


It will be unfortunate if Decision Day is so magni- 
fied in the minds of the pupils that they think of a con- 
fession of Christ asanannualevent. The Sunday school 
teachers should be constantly on the watch over the 
growing, developing life of the Sunday school pupils 
and never let an opportunity pass when the time seems 
ripe for such a step to give opportunity for a confession 
of Christ. It may take place in the classroom, in the 
home of the pupil, in the home of the teacher, or again 
it may occur in the public service. After the decision 
has been reached it is wise to arrange for a special serv- 
ice before the school, possibly before the whole Church, 
when the public confession of Christ may be made. 


THe LAW OF THE GRADE. 


Care should be taken that we observe the principle 


of grading in the evangelistic effort as truly as in the 
133 


THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 


teaching effort. Every pastor and every teacher should 
protect the children against the gang or mass movement. 
This often creates a wrong impression and does per- 
manent injury to the pupil. It is not the right thing 
to bring pressure to bear upon John to confess Christ 
just because Bill has done so, and to urge on one or 
two lone boys just because the other boys in their class 
have come forward. Perhaps the time for their decision 
is not at hand. To bring pressure upon pupils to reach 
a decision when their hearts are not in it is making a 
mockery of the whole affair so far as they are concerned 
and ofttimes leaves a scar in the soul for life. 


TRAINING FOR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 


One of the serious losses of the Protestant Church 
lies in the gap between the decision for Christian life 
and the period of taking converts into Church member- 
ship. As soon as the special period of evangelistic ef- 
fort in the Sunday school has been completed, special 
classes should be organized by the pastor, and with the 
assistance of a few choice persons those who have made 
a forward step should be trained in the meaning of 
Church membership. This instruction should be given 
to the various age groups separately. The meaning of 
Church membership and its responsibilities will be very 
simply explained to the Juniors. It will have a larger 
meaning for the Intermediates and Seniors. It ought 
to be made a very significant and intelligent matter to 
those who have come toward maturity and are adults. 
Not only should these classes be organized, but the 


pastor should personally interview every individual and 
134 


ITS PLANS AND WORK 


talk over with him his experience, assist him in getting 
a foothold in the Christian life and guide him in the 
forming of habits that will help to make his Christian 
experience deeper and richer. An evangelist once said 
that too much of our evangelistic effort is patterned 
after the practice of the cowboys on the Western plains: 
‘‘Annually the yearlings are all rounded up, branded, 
and then turned loose to graze for themselves.”’ It is 
just this that the Church has been doing, making a 
special effort once each year, making a great ado over 
it, counting the number of converts, and then turning 
them loose and telling them to go live for Jesus. They 
need as much care and assistance after they have made 
their decision as they did before, and it is a crime against 
their souls for the Church to accept their decision and 
then fail to assist them in preparing to live the Christian 
life. 
JOINING THE CHURCH 


This should be the most significant day in the life of 
the young convert. After he has made his profession 
of faith in Jesus Christ and has had explained to him 
the meaning and the responsibilities of Church member- 
ship, special plans should be made for his formal re- 
ception into the fellowship of the Church. Too often 
all of the attention is given to the adults who are to be 
received, shifting the children off to one side, or possibly 
letting them stand back of the adults. This is not the 
method that Jesus used. He “took a little child and 
set him in the midst.’’ The special ritual prepared for 
children should be used and plenty of time taken so 


that the day on which they joined the Church will re- 
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THE SMALL SUNDAY SCHOOL 





main forever a happy memory. This should be true not 
only of children, but of all who join the Church. Ii 
should be a dignified, solemn occasion. To neglect the 
ritual or slur over the service that has been set apart 
for the reception of members into the Church will work 
an injury that can never be effaced. To magnify the 
occasion will magnify the importance of the event and 
make it a day long to be remembered. 

In closing let us again state the purpose of the Sun- 
day school as ‘‘seeking to offer a plan by which each 
pupil may be led to a knowledge of God’s will and toa 
definite acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour 
and Lord and to develop a Christian character that is 
expressed through worship, right living, and efficient 
service.’’ | 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW 


1.” What is the aim of the Sunday school? 

2. What is your aim as an individual Sunday school worker? 

3. Give in your own language a definition of evangelism. 

4. What do you mean by an evangelist? 

5. In what way is the Sunday school a promising field for edu- 
cational evangelism? 

6. What distinction is to be drawn between evangelism of chil- 
dren and the evangelism of adults who have gone away into sin? 

7. How can the Sunday school teacher assist the home in bring- 
ing boys and girls to a confession of Christ? 

8. Give some of the qualifications that are necessary for a soul 
winner. 

9. Outline a plan for evangelism for your Sunday school. 


136 





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